Corruption Of Minds
by Yggdrasil-Rk
Summary: Four years after the events of The Gathering Storm, evil has risen once again. But now life has become much harder for the growing Digidestined. However eager children stand ready to take their place. 02/Tamers/Savers Xros Over... well some Savers. '
1. The Mist Of Mind Corruption

Digital Revolutions: Corruption Of Minds

Chapter: 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon or anything else I mention in this story. I will be using the United States education structure because... well I've never been to a Japanese school.

_]{Reviews}[_

**RK-Omega–** Thanks I hope I do manage to post up the rest of the chapters before the 'Movement' starts.

**Aero Angemon**– Yeah my good friend, it's been a while. And I thank you for reviewing that last chapter on the Prelude saga/Intermission.

**Hikari and Takeru**– I would say Merry Christmas, but I am a little late aren't I... So instead, Happy New Years, and thanks for your review.

_**A/N**_: Well guys, there is no denying it. It's officially done. To greet the new year we have joined the Militia Movement across the US...

….Back to the story, people. We're finally here, the second saga. And I hope to make it a good one for you guys. I will also emphasize on the emotions and characteristics of the characters to give it more of an appeal to you guys and gals, making this one possibly the longest saga due to all the characters that are going to be in it. I also changed the time-line a little; instead of the three year intermission from the anime, I did four years. Quatro. So let me give you the round up on their ages.

_={Season 1}=_

Taichi 'Tai' Kamiya – 15

Sora Takenouchi – 15

Yamato 'Yama, Matt' Ishida – 15

Koushiro 'Izzy' Izumi – 14

Mimi Tachikawa – 14

Joe Kido – 16

Hikari 'Kari' Kamiya – 12

Takeru 'Kari' Takaishi – 12

_={Season 2 & 3}=_

Daisuke 'Dai' Motomiya – 12

Miyako 'Miya' Inoue – 13

Iori Hida – 10

Ken Ichijouji – 13

Takato Matsuda – 11

Henry Wong – 11

Rika Makino – 12

Ryo Akiyama – 12

Well there you have it. I'll give you the ages of the Digital Guardians later. For now it's only going to revolve around the Digidestined. I might pull off some new drawing for this saga, like a Takari or a Taiora... I still don't know but if I did, which would you guys want to see? I already did two for Cecil and Roy, and one for Rose is in the works. I also posted a better summary for this saga in the RK website, just click on the links on my profile. I leave you for now with the Song of the YEAR! lol. From one of the best bands I know and some of the best renowned Metal Bands.

_A desperate situation  
Forced to retaliation  
The task ahead, a burden  
Men will suffer, that's for certain  
We'll charge into the fire  
The cause, we must inspire  
We raise our fist to tyranny  
A high price, Freedom is not free_

_The odds are stacked against us  
But with our resolve relentless  
And arrogance their Weakness  
Our cause is just, we won't be beaten  
Upon this declaration  
Will come a brand new nation  
Where men are seen as equal  
Governed by and for the people_

_(Chorus)  
So we make our stand and pray  
On this declaration day  
For independence I will fight_

_With liberty I will defy  
So we make our stand and pray  
On this declaration day  
Give me liberty or give me death  
I'll fight 'till my last breath  
(End Chorus)_

_With virtue as our beacon  
Our cause is charged as treason  
Battle worn and starving  
Through the hell of war we'll keep marching  
The birth of our new nation  
An act of desperation  
We'll force the king down to his knees  
Capitulation  
_  
_(Repeat Chorus)_

-Iced Earth, Declaration Day

* * *

_-Chapter 3 Corruption Of Minds_

Power, Lust, Greed, Revenge, and Pride... these are among the few that often plant the seeds of corruption and evil in this world and furthermore. I found out when I underwent my second journey in the Digital Universe. It was by far the most difficult thing we faced and it scares, even to this day – to see that a person could become so corrupted. Not only because of what _they_ can do to someone, but of what _they_ might be feeling themselves... With no one to save _them..._ or even understand _their_ grievances and help _them_ out of the grave _they_ dug for themselves.

It hurts me to know that I couldn't help her, that she had to die in the end, because of her greed for power and control. It's those types of seeds that make the evil people of earth.

The human mind as well as the mind of a Digimon, are both so fragile. One mind can easily be manipulated into doing something so evil, followed by a domino effect that may cost a person's humanity in the end. In earth, it was the cause of all it's wars and yet those actions were often ignored and portrayed as acts of heroism, when rebellion and truth were considered treason. As I write this, I feel that I too was a part of that, but I fought with all my heart to preserve the lives of those who were innocent and for what was right. I never intended to hurt anyone on purpose, not like a rabid person who fears of losing power and control. _War. Genocide. Power. Death_. That is a lot of what we witnessed in the Digital Universe, but in the end, after all the fighting... after all the bloodshed against the evil... we saw that what we fought for was right.

_Peace... Freedom... Love... Life... all these wonderful emotions and attributes that were often taken for granted is what we fought for. The reason we shed tears and even a very piece of ourselves._

Due to ignorant and arrogant decisions made by misguided and corrupt leaders, darkness always blooms... Leaders who'd give up the lives of others to further their own power and wealth. Even we, who went through so many trails, have not been affected by mind corruption. Instead we allowed the light to shine it's light on everyone who was willing to take it. Something that was influenced to earth and the Digital Universe after all the violence, tyranny and death washed over the land...

_

* * *

-The Mist Of Mind Corruption_

RRRRRIIIIINNNNGGGG!

Grumbles from a twelve year old seventh grader filled his room, but still the needle-pitched alarm pierced his eardrums. The sun lit through his curtains and burned through his eyelids and his blanket had fallen to the cold wood furnished floor, forcing him to awaken from his pleasant dream about a certain girl.

"...Why the hell do I have that stupid alarm clock?" He muttered to himself irately.

He yawned loudly, his mouth gaping widely. He removed his pajamas, standing in his boxers in his clean room, boxes of clothes and small furniture still needed to be unpacked and unwrapped. It upset his mother to no end that after three days of moving in, her son had not even bother to unpack, all because he was daydreaming about a certain girl who he had a crush on since he met her in his soccer game all those years ago.

"Dai! You're going to be late for first day of school!"

"I'll be out in a minute, MOM!"

Daisuke Motomiya groaned with annoyance. He knew it was his first day of school, but when his mother nagged at him it really annoyed him and only made him slower.

He slid on to his white collar shirt and swooped on his olive green jacket and his matching pants and adjusted his goggles. The uniform was ugly and uncool on his point of view, but he was willing to deal with it. He glanced at the desk on the foot of his bed. His essential things were there. His pens, his pencils, his papers, his book-bag, and his small black box that held all his Digimon cards.

...Digimon cards?

Yes. Digimon had become a card game after the return of the Digidestined, just a few months later. The game started out as a simple card game, evolving into a show on the actual monsters and even inspired a world sensation band that became well known for their rock 'n roll style. The card game was popular around the world, just as much as the show and the band known as Jihad.

Daisuke was skeptical about the game at first, but when he saw that Taichi and Hikari had gotten into the cards, he was quick to follow. He had assembled powerful cards, and he took pride in being a good Digimon Tamer – as everyone liked to name themselves.

With his cards in hand, he walked out of his room only to have his happy-go-lucky mood abruptly stopped by his sister and his mother, both of who were cross-armed and scowling at him.

"Good morning..." Daisuke said already knowing what they were after.

"Have you fixed your room yet?" His mother asked.

Daisuke didn't answer. He remained quiet and narrowed his eyes at his sister.

"Well?" Jun pressed on. "Did you fix your room or not?"

"Shut it, big mouth!" Daisuke snapped. "I'll unpack everything when I come back, ok."

With that he ran passed his sister and mother and out of his apartment to receive the chilly breeze of the first day of February in the area of Shinjuku. This was it, the month in which he was going to finally met with Hikari, _his_ beloved Hikari.

Since she had moved from Odaiba, he was forced to stay in contact with her by phone. But now that his father took a job in the area, he sought to find the same school in which _his_ Hikariwas attending. And he succeeded, with persuasive positive outlooks when his parents were looking for a new apartment. He led them to chose this one that was near the school. Sometimes, he was very crafty and clever... sometimes.

And so he journeyed to his new school, in hopes that he would come across Hikari on the way. But he knew the chances were slim, she was always an early person and he was already running late.

He paced down the student crowded streets until he finally stopped in his school. He stared at the three story building, unimpressed. The school back in Odaiba only had two floors but it was a tad better looking, with it's own soccer field.

As he walked down the school halls, he noticed a lot of people still hanging outside their classes, chatting away with their friends. Most likely waiting until the last minute for the bell to ring them inside their classrooms like sheep being herded into their stables. He also saw that people were trading and playing the Digimon card game.

As much as he wanted to show them how it was done, he had to go and pick up his classes (The class schedule?). But he knew that he was going to teach them a lesson in humility sooner or later.

* * *

"So, Mr. Motomiya I see that you come from Odaiba..." The principle said as he read the school transcripts and notes to himself. "...Oh, I see that you were the captain of your soccer team in the short time you were in Odaiba middle school... impressive... Well I think you'll fit in with everyone here, and you're already dressed so we've saved sometime. Ms. Ayumi, would you please show Mr. Motomiya to his class room."

Daisuke sighed, relieved, as he walked out the principle's office with the assistant by his side. He was lucky, _very_ lucky. He became captain of his soccer team in the four weeks he was in Odaiba middle school, but due to scholar record keeping, his 'mishaps' with school work and activities was never recorded properly. In other words; he got away with slacking off in class and the fact that he was the captain of his soccer team gave him a sort of impressive image.

Finally they came to a halt at the very end of the hallway. She slid the door open to a classroom and excused herself. "...I brought you a new student, Mr Fujiyama." Said Ms. Ayumi

The teacher adjusted his glasses immediately recognizing the boy. He smirked, as the glare of the sun, reflecting off his glasses, gave him a sinister look.

"Thanks, I'll handle it from here." He said mischievously.

With a bow the assistant left the somewhat baffled Daisuke, behind. Mr Fujiyama, his previous teacher back in elementary school. Yes, many would be jealous that Daisuke managed to match up with Mr. Fujiyama for at least one class, since he was among the coolest and most laid back of the teachers, but not Daisuke; he saw it more as a punishment than a treat.

Mr. Fujiyama knew how much of a slacker Daisuke could be and how hard it could be to even make him focus on his work. But the only thing that left Daisuke baffled was: Mr. Fujiyama was his math teacher in middle school.

"Motomiya, It looks like we're going to have a lot of fun."

Daisuke gulped. _'just my luck' _He noticed that his new classmate's eyes were all on him. But out of all the pairs of eyes in the class, one caught his attention. A pair of crimson eyes. _'It's her'_

"Ok Motomiya, let's find you a seat..." Mr. Fujiyama rolled his eyes across the classroom, spotting the perfect and only seat for his new student. "Ms. Makino. Would you raise your hand."

Daisuke scanned the room and spotted a girl, reluctantly raising her hand. She had reddish hair in a pony tail and wore the school uniform with repulsiveness showing in her cold lavender eyes. She didn't seem too pleased to have a partner sit next to her. Even the other kids seemed to have that '_Oh, crap. I feel sorry for the new kid' _look on them. But he ignored them.

"Hey, Daisuke." Mr. Fujiyama whisper. "If you can keep a level head with Rika, I won't give you a hard time for slacking off in my classes all those times."

"Sure." Daisuke answered absentmindedly.

Daisuke walked towards his desk, and smiled at the other girl across the room, who could only smile back at him. That girl was none other than Hikari Kamiya, she wore the school uniform and to him, she looked better than any other girl in it. Even that hairclip he loved on her so much exposed her crimson eyes even more. Little did he know that the hair clip that retained Hikari's hair was a gift from a certain blonde.

He always considered himself lucky, but he saw this as something else, something that wasn't luck; maybe destiny, but definitely not luck. With a last glance he decided to focus on his new neighbor, Rika Makino. He saw that this girl was clearly unfriendly, but she had a certain cute appeal to her, but her cold lilac eyes made it hard for him to say anything. He always tried to talk to everyone, and Rika wasn't the exception.

"Hi... I'm Daisuke, but my friends call me Dai." He said a little nervously, though retaining his cheerful look.

The girl simply stared at him blankly and scoffed after a second before turning away. "Yeah right."

Daisuke arched a brow, he hadn't met someone so rude since his sister. And he thought they had a reason to have the brotherly-sister resentment. _'what the heck's her problem?'

* * *

_

(Lunch)

"... I just don't know what her problem is. She gave me the silent treatment throughout the entire period"

Hikari smiled, she was happy to see that Daisuke was still wanting to make friends, like her brother. But she to wondered about the cold Makino girl in her first period class. She knew a lot about her on her social status, but nothing about her personal life. She never heard Rika talk, only when she was called on, or when she was forced to answer something, but otherwise; never.

"You should try talking to her, I never had a chance because I only got her for that one class."

Daisuke sighed, he was going to try and get to her, Taichi would insist on it as well. "I guess I can... but enough about her. What's new, Hika? Are you going to be going to the Valentines' dance?" he asked. Curiosity and anticipation washing over him.

Hikari blushed, she was hoping Daisuke would avoid the subject, but she should have known better. "Actually... I am."

Curiosity grew in Daisuke even more, usually Hikari would avoid dances, like the small dance they had when both transitioned to junior high from elementary, or what several teachers called 'graduated'. "Really? Who are you going with?" Daisuke asked, hoping to hear the answer he wanted; which was _'you'_

"Hika!"

The duo turned to a student with long lilac hair, wearing a pair of glasses that magnified her chocolate eyes and energetic personality. It was Hikari's friend, Miyako, who cheerfully sat next to her and Daisuke, pushing the goggle head a little to the side.

"Did you hear about Jihad! They're playing in Tokyo!" She almost squealed with excitement.

Hikari was thankful for Miyako's timing, she didn't want to tell Daisuke who she was really going with, she didn't want to hurt him or cause any turbulence in their friendship. "Really? That's neat."

"Neat? Are you kidding me? It's freaking awesome! You're lacking enthusiasm Hika." Miyako said and finally noticed the scowling Daisuke next to her. "...Who's he?" she asked.

"Me? Oh, me? I'm Daisuke." He answered in a _can't-you-see-I-was-talking_ tone. "Is it normal for you to interrupt someone when they're talking? Or are you a tourist from a country where it's ok to butt in people's conversations?"

"Oh, I'm sorry but this is important – I'm Miyako by the way." She said briskly and turned her back on him. "Hika, my dad got me an extra ticket and I was wondering if you'd like to go with me and see them _LIVE_."

Miyako Inoue, Hikari's friend who she met when she first came to this new school. She was a tad older than her but she had an active perspective and personality, she was also very forward yet friendly, but she was also very smart and computer savvy. The scary thing was that she reminded Hikari about Koushiro with her big fancy words that she would use on a normal bases.

But things like concerts were something that she still wasn't used to, especially with someone as unpredictable as Jihad. "I don't know... I don't think my mom would let me."

"Aww...come on – Think about it, their show is this upcoming month, and don't worry, my dad will talk to your parents. I'm sure we can work something out. PLEASE!" Miyako drew the eyes of a few people in the cafeteria with her energize personality, though it wasn't a first.

"Okay." Hikari sighed in defeat. There was no point in arguing with Miyako, especially when she did something as generous as getting her some _hard-to-get tickets_ to a popular band... after all... She knew the two teenagers in the band very well, she knew that they worked for DATS and only started the band to promote the Digimon franchise and make money to fund their research and the services of DATS. But she already had been invited to their upcoming concert as a VIP and she didn't want to tell Miyako about it.

"Jihad? The band that opened for the Digimon series?" Daisuke asked, finally tired of being silent.

Almost as if someone pressed the right button, Miyako faced Daisuke. "Yeah, they're going to be playing in the Yokohama Arena – You collect the cards, right?"

Daisuke pulled out the black box in which he kept all his Digimon cards and proudly pulled out his rarest and most favorite card. "Imperialdramon Fight Mode is my grade-A card."

Miyako swiped out a single card from her bag and held it in front of the goggle wearing boy. "You're all about power aren't you. But I'm all strategy and my favorite is and always will be Halsemon."

Daisuke gawked at the rare holographic Halsemon card. Only a few were released in _that_ edition and she was lucky enough to have one. "I'll play you for it." He said immediately.

Miyako grinned. "You're on. But If I win; I get that Imperialdramon of yours."

"Hah, good luck trying to keep up with me."

Hikari felt strange about the fact that her friends were talking about Digimon in such a way. It was eerie in a way. But it also made her feel good to see that a game inspired by creatures who helped her understand herself better, brought two of her friends together. She just hoped that Daisuke's competitiveness didn't get the best of him, like it did with her brother and Yamato at times.

She pulled out a single card that she kept in her pocket at all times. She was told by DATS to try and master the game as much as possible, but there was no explanation as to why. And she did, she had practiced with her brother and all the Digidestined, however they never played the card game with other; it just didn't feel right.

The card was Gatomon, a unique and only version that was made only for her. In it, it had the symbol of hope on the bottom right corner. A card that was said to be linked to her ring that she wore to this day on her ring finger; the ring of hope, a ring she hid under the sleeve of her uniform. A ring which represented the person who she fondly felt safe with. A person who she came to treasure with all her heart.

* * *

(Afterschool)

Chattering from the students filled the school halls that Daisuke depressingly walked through. He had lost to Miyako, he had lost his favorite card, Imperialdramon, and he lost confidence in his abilities as a Tamer. Miyako played circles around him with combos he had never seen before with cards he had no knowledge of. And to make matters worst, she beat him in front of Hikari.

Right now he was heading to his locker to which he was to shared with a kid on the sixth grade due to large amount of students that were enrolled and the limited number of lockers.

He arrived to see the kid with brown hair and pale crimson eyes, wearing the same uniform, but the thing that stood out from him were his goggles. They were yellow pilot-like goggles. The boy looked at him equally as shocked.

"Hey..." the boy said. "Are you Daisuke?"

Daisuke nodded once and very spiritless. "Yeah... and I take it that you're Takato."

The younger goggle head was taken aback by his depressing and unfriendly tone, he had heard that the new kid was a former soccer captain in his old school, and a pretty chipper guy to boot.

"Er.. well come on, I'll show you the combination to open our locker."

Daisuke dragged himself to watch his locker buddy show him the combination. But he still couldn't get over the loss. _'how could she beat me?'_ he wondered about that the whole day, barely putting any attention to his work in any of his classes since lunch.

"And presto, it's open." Takato cheerfully said, opening the locker.

Daisuke's eyes widened to what he saw inside, besides the few books, there were a lot of Digimon cards stacked over them. And several other things related to the Digimon game.

"All of these things are yours?" Daisuke asked.

"Well most of them are."

Both Takato and Daisuke turned to another person. He had dark blue hair with shiny silver eyes. He was about yay high and mounted a card pouch on his belt.

"Henry, I thought you left already." Takato said. "Hey we got a new locker partner."

"Hi." Henry greeted politely. "I'm Henry."

Daisuke's briskness was slowly returning to him as he stared at the stash "Hi, I'm Daisuke, but everyone just calls me Dai – Do you collect Digimon cards too?"

"Yeah... you can say that." Henry answered somewhat unsure with his answer. "I take it that you collect them too?"

"Yeah." He answered quickly remembering his humiliating defeat.

"What's wrong?" Takato asked.

He gave a deep sigh. "I... just lost my Imperialdramon Fighter Mode card to a _girl_."

"Miyako Inoue, ne?" Takato asked. "She's the one who beat you, right?"

Daisuke arched a brow. "How did you know?"

Both boys chuckled at him unintentionally. "Ouch. Someone should have warned you about that. Miyako is the second best Digimon Tamer in this school." Takato said carefully hoping not to bring anymore anguish to his new friend.

"Yeah, but the girl you really have to watch for is Rika... Rika Makino." Henry advised. "She won the grand championship so easily and some say she's the best around, even..."

Henry's words began to fade away from Daisuke's mind. _'Miyako and Rika... the best?'_ He was just blown away by the revelation. Two girls, as the best Digimon Tamers in the school, one of them possibly being the best in all Japan. It made him wonder if she thought she was superior to everyone because she was champion, her reason for being so quiet and dismissive in class.

"Hey, Dai, are you ok?" Takato asked.

He shook his head and nodded. "Yeah, I'm just surprised to see that you guys have so many things on Digimon." Daisuke said taking and studying a card reader from the locker.

Henry smiled, He could tell that Daisuke was a good person, one that could be trusted with their locker combination. "Well we have a few card readers to spear. Keep that card reader, it might help you if you ever want to challenge Miyako for your Imperialdramon."

He smiled. "Really! Thanks man!"

"Don't mention it." Takato said.

Duuu-uh-nnig-Duuu-uh-nnig

A sort of alert chime was heard from Takato and Henry's pockets, almost like a cellphone ring-tone. But for them to be ringing in perfect unison was a little strange.

"Err... Sorry, we gotta go." both boys said rattling a sense of anxiety. Just like that the two boys dashed out the hallways, like if a horror flick maniac was forcing them to run for their lives.

Daisuke just watched them turn the corner and shrugged. He closed the locker shut and left the horrid place also known as school returning his attention to his new Card Reader. He really needed to get his Imperialdramon back, his school work depended on it, that and his already damaged reputation on a new school as well.

* * *

(Kamiya Residence- Later in the day)

"...So Kari, I hear that you and a special someone are going to the valentines' dance." Taichi poked his head out of the kitchen into their living room.

Hikari hung the phone after holding it in her hands for a few minutes, daydreaming about _his_ return, again. She walked back to the kitchen where she met Taichi and Sora both still washing their dishes. "What ever happened to something called privacy?"

Taichi snickered at his sister. "You two are getting awfully chummy with each other."

Hikari merely rolled his eyes at her brother, and went back to cleaning the dishes. She had just gotten off the phone with her best friend Takeru, and she was really looking forward to his return.

"Come on Tai, leave her alone." Sora said, wrapping her slightly bedewed arms around Taichi. "I think it's nice that Kari and TK decided to go to the Valentine's dance together."

Hikari blushed. Sora was always dead on when it came to things like that. Was it because of her crest or because she was on a relationship with her brother, Taichi.

"Really?" Taichi asked. "And when is good ol' Teeks coming back?"

Hikari shrugged. "He won't tell me, he wants it to be a surprise."

"Oh, I see. TK's gone _mysterious romantic_ on you." Taichi said with a teasing smirk.

"You can be such a child sometimes." Sora said wrapping her arms tighter around him. "Don't ever change." She whispered

Taichi grinned "I wouldn't dream of it."

Hikari averted her eyes back to the dishes as both Sora and her brother got all lovey-dovey status on her. It's not that she didn't feel comfortable, but it made her a tad bit jealous that Sora and her brother were capable of expressing their feelings. Something she envied quietly.

-Thunk, thunk, thunk-

"I'll get it." Hikari said and quickly paced to the door. She opened it to see a very familiar person. "Yoshino? Hi – how are you doing?" Hikari greeted and allowed the young women to pass.

Yoshino Fujieda made her first introduction with the Digidestined a year after the defeat of Apocalymon. She became a member of DATS and quickly developed a detective-like sense, but she was still a bit of a mysterious person to the Digidestined. They didn't know where she was from or why she was really sent to them by DATS. All she did was inform them about a small situation or just stop by for visits.

"Hello Hikari." She greeted hastily and walked in. "I'm sorry to be a little forward; but did any of you bring your Digimon back from the Digital Universe?"

The three Digidestined looked at each other and shook their heads. "No. They haven't been here since... three weeks ago." Taichi answered. "Why?"

"I was afraid of that... We picked up Musyamon somewhere in Shinjuku park about a an hour ago."

"Again?" Sora asked, slightly irritated with the Digimon that had been causing mischief in the park, however, they were unable to actually pinpoint the Samurai Digimon's location. "This Musyamon is really sneaky."

"I'm afraid he wasn't as sneaky as we thought." Came Lalamon's voice from the Digivice. "He was recently destroyed."

The eyes of the Digidestined widened. They defeated Apocalymon to prevent anymore Digimon from being destroyed. DATS was also there to make sure the Digimon were captured and sent back to the Digital World, should they ever emerge on Earth.

"How? How can someone destroy a Digimon." Sora asked. "A...are you sure he was destroyed?"

Hikari and Taichi both felt angered in the same way of Sora, all of the wondering who this killer was.

"I'm afraid we don't know who it was, but we know for certain that he was destroyed." Lalamon answered. "We picked up a few signals but we were unable to isolate their Digital Signatures to actually pinpoint a profile on the Digimon who did this."

"What about the Digital Guardians?" Taichi asked.

"They haven't made contact with us. We assume that they've had less luck in finding this Digimon than we have." Yoshino answered seeing the teenager's eyes narrow.

Despite the emotions of anger and helplessness that Taichi and the two girls felt, they couldn't do anything about it at the moment. They had no idea what the Digital Guardians were up to or what DATS had picked up. With Yoshino being the only one who spoke openly about the actions of DATS to them, they had nothing to do but wait for new information to arise. But they wondered who could be so cruel and cold hearted as to destroy a Digimon who was confused and alone in earth, let alone powerful enough to defeat a strong champion level Digimon like Musyamon.

_

* * *

Earlier In Shinjuku Park_-

"Diamond Storm!" A elegant Digimon rained down a barrage of crystalline-like blasts at the weakened Samurai Digimon. The rain of diamonds impaled the Digimon and reduced him to bits of data that were drawn into the Fox-Like Digimon's body in a fascinating glow. But the four spectators that stood on the sidelines watched bitterly.

"Not even a Champion is a match for us." A girl with dark tight denim jeans and a white shirt with short turquoise sleeves, smirked proudly at the Digimon who landed perfectly on the park grounds. She turned around to the four spectators that were glaring at her for what she did to Musyamon.

"You're horrible." The boy wearing goggles said coldly.

"How can you just destroy him like that?" The boy besides him asked. His Digimon partner hanging around his shoulder.

The girl scoffed the two boys. "Please, look at you, crying over data. Digimon were created to fight, so spare me the tears." She said turning her back on the two boys and their Digimon. The fox Digimon doing the same.

"You're wrong!" The boy with silver eyes glared at the girl. "You're wrong Rika, Digimon weren't only made to fight. They can also-"

"-Feel, share their feelings, do whatever they want. Blah, blah, blah." Rika stopped dead in her tracks and faced the two boys and their Digimon. "You're both boring me to death with that same old speech. Renamon wants to fight, and so do I for that matter. We share the same idea – and that's getting stronger. Is that a good enough answer for you?"

With the glares of the two boys clashing with her own cold glare, she scoffed at them and walked away while Renamon faced the two Digimon for a second before disappearing into the shadows.

The two boys sighed, wondering what made Rika think so little of Digimon.

"We better get out of here." The goggle boy and his Red Digimon partner led the way back to their hide out.

However the other boy stared at the girl disappear from view. He couldn't understand why she couldn't see that Digimon were more than just data.

"She's got a real attitude problem and a big mouth." His Digimon partner, Terriermon, said mockingly.

"Henry, what are you doing, we have to go." His friend, Takato Matsuda, hurried him before anyone noticed the Digimon.

Henry nodded and ran back along with his friends back to their hideout. But still he wondered if Rika was ever going to see that her partner was more than just a piece of zeros and ones, before it was too late.

_

* * *

Kamiya Residence _

The living room was silent as Taichi, Sora, Hikari, Yoshino and Lalamon tried to come up with a plan to track down the Digimon that slayed Musyamon. In the past, Musyamon would just slice down a tree or two and go back into hiding, but to have him destroyed for something so miniscule? It just seemed so wrong.

But still Yoshino wondered where the Digimon came from because from the reports; this Digimon came from somewhere else, other than the Digital Universe.

"Well I'm sick of just sitting around." Taichi stated angrily. "Can't we do something? You know, go look around."

Yoshino and Lalamon shrugged. "I guess we can, but if Lalamon can't feel their signatures, it's possible that the Digimon who destroyed Musyamon has already left."

Taichi rolled his eyes and stood up. "Look, we can stay here and talk and speculate or we can get off our butts and look for whoever did this."

Yoshino had already checked it out earlier and found nothing, but she could see that she was already outnumbered. She sighed, wondering why Tai was always so stubborn, since the first day she met him and began to partner up with them, more so than Roy. But nonetheless, she knew that his intentions were good. She drew Lalamon back into her Digivice and followed the Digidestined back to the park where the signal was last picked up.

_

* * *

Shinjuku Park_

The sky was in a toasty orange, like any other day that was going to end. But not for the Digidestined, searching for any clues as to what or who destroyed Musyamon, but as far as luck went...

They had none.

The park was commonly full, especially during dusk and during the night, it was the place to be for couples to enjoy a romantic time with their loved ones and nature by their side. But despite the amount of people in the area, none of them had that _'oh my god! I saw a monster'_ look on them. It was strange because Musyamon was a hard Digimon to miss, and a battle between the Digimon would certainly attract a lot of attention.

But no. No one was running for their lives or screaming out 'MONSTERS'

The group sat on a bench, resting for Yoshino's sake. They weren't tired, but they had to think about their approach on the mystery destruction of Musyamon. Besides, their old journey in the Digital Universe helped them develop the endurance and stamina to walk long distances.

"I just thought of something." Sora said. "If we do find this Digimon, how are we going to stop it?"

Taichi and Hikari looked at Yoshino. "You think Lalamon can handle it?"

"Of course I can." She cheekily said from inside the Digivice. "From what I sensed, this Digimon was only on the champion level."

"Well champion or not, we should go and talk to Izzy about this. I'm sure he can help us out more." Hikari suggested. Koushiro was more endowed with knowledge on the Digital Universe and had a vast gallery of the Digimon database on his laptop.

"Wait!" Lalamon exclaimed. Luckily there was no one close by to hear her.

"What is it, Lalamon?"

"I can sense two weak Digimon signatures really close by... just up the hill to the north."

The group stood up and followed Lalamon's directions. They walked up a few stairs, up a lonely path. A perfect place for a Digimon to hide, most of all because it was out of sight from the public. Taichi walked on ahead, even though he knew that Yoshino was working for DATS, he felt responsible for taking care of his friends from harm's way.

They stopped at a caged den, however the gate was open and chattering could be heard.

"Do you hear that?" Taichi asked.

"Yeah... Lalamon it's time." Yoshino said and held out her Digivice IC "Lalamon realize!"

_

* * *

A few moments earlier._

"...Momentai, Henry. You can't expect anyone, _especially_ someone like Rika to listen to us." Terriermon said, mocking the cold girl.

"Terriermon!" His partner scolded. But Terriermon did have a point, there was no other explanation. As hard as he tried to overlook the fact that Rika was the national champion issue, he figured that was the only reason she though of Digimon of nothing more than just data.

"Guilmon, would you mind getting off me?" Takato asked trying to scoot off his sleeping Digimon partner.

"Guilmon... go bye-bye." He snoozed out and wrapped his hands around Takato.

Terriermon snickered at the sight of Guilmon and Takato. Most of all Takato's 'help me' face. But Henry just stared at them with a smile.

_'How can she think they're just for fighting?'_ he asked himself. Henry himself was once skeptical about Digimon being able to do more than just fight. But that's until he saw how Terriermon degenerated after his Digivolving rampage. He swore to himself that he would never allow Terriermon to fight unneeded battles, to prevent him from loosing control again and causing harm to himself and others.

"Guil...mon!" Takato said breathlessly after removing the heavy Digimon off himself. "No more peanut-butter for you!"

"Lalamon Realize!"

A voice outside made them wince. The two boys poked their heads outside the den they used as their hideout and saw another Digimon hovering in midair, ready to fight. They also spotted a few more people behind the Digimon, two of them who were well to familiar to them.

They walked out revealing themselves to the group of people. Leaving two of them lightly shocked.

"Takato? Henry?" Tai muttered their names.

"You know them?" Yoshino asked.

Taichi and Hikari nodded.

"They're in Tai's old Soccer team." Hikari answered. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

Before they could answer the one of the hidden guest decided to make himself known. "Takatomon, what's going on?" The drowsy Guilmon emerge from the den, clueless about the situation.

"It's the renegade." Yoshino pointed at the dinosaur-like Digimon. "Lalamon get him!"

Lalamon watched the red Digimon yawn, obviously underestimating her, but she wondered why this Digimon was acting so calm, almost as if he were tamed, unlike the other Digimon who'd just try to adjust to earth.

"Wait! Guilmon's not going to hurt anyone." Takato defended Guilmon by standing in between the small plant Digimon.

Lalamon looked back at Yoshino, as if asking her to settle down and try and figure out what a Digimon was doing on earth, instead of boorishly going into battle.

"Momentai!" Came Terriermon into the picture with his cheerful tone. "Let's talk it over a good sandwich or maybe a riceball?"

"Another one?" Sora stared at the smaller and cutter Digimon.

"T...Takato what's going on here?" Taichi asked, slightly flabbergasted that his friends knew about real Digimon, but what stole his breath was that they were both in Shinjuku park near the time when Musyamon was destroyed. Many things ran through Taichi's mind as well as Hikari's. She knew the two boys very well and as much as she hated to label them, the current evidence was pointing at them, and DATS usually followed the evidence.

"We're just hanging around." Takato answered. "Honestly, we were just hanging around with our partners."

"Partners?" Yoshino asked.

Takato pulled out a device out from his shirt which was held by a shoelace around his neck. "We're Digimon Tamers."

They stared at the odd device. It was clearly a Digivice, but unlike any model they had ever seen. It was much different than the Digivice IC and the D3s the Digidestined and Yoshino had. It was going to take Takato and Henry every bit of detail to explain this one to their old soccer coach and his sister as well as the two other girls who joined them. Although with Lalamon in the picture, they weren't going to have any trouble mentioning their Digimon partners and their recent undertakings that were burdening DATS and Yoshino, since she was assigned to the assignment specifically.

_

* * *

Makino Residence_

Rika studied her cards, a daily thing she did to keep her wits sharp. But still the continuous remarks from both Henry and Takato were distracting her. Their words wouldn't just leave her alone, instead they kept ringing harder.

"Just leave me alone." She muttered bitterly, but no it would not stop.

She continued studying her cards, trying her best to ignore the images of all the Digimon she ordered to be destroyed. But alas, even the cards that she held reminded her about every second of her battles in the past seven months. The 'power plus' cards was among the first she used against a Chameleonmon, or the 'crush' card that demobilized Musyamon.

Musyamon. His defeat moved something inside her heart. A boulder of ice that revealed remorse; her true emotions, things she chose to block out since her father left her.

"Renamon." She called quietly.

The elegant fox Digimon quietly appeared from the shadows of a corner of her room. "Yes, Rika?"

She met her partner's icy blue eyes, those intimidating eyes that restrain any enemy or ally from asking her anything about her feelings. But Rika's own, demonstrated the same kind of coldness. Yet as she faced her partner, she couldn't bring herself to explain what she was feeling. Vulnerability was what she was feeling.

"Why can't you Digivolve?" She asked, switching completely from the subject and her attitude. "We've been at this for seven months, so why can't you digivolve?"

"I don't know." Renamon answered honestly.

"_So... you want to get stronger."_

A eerie voice echoed in the room. Renamon stood up, alert, as did Rika. They scanned every inch of Rika's room but found nothing or no one.

"_I can help you both achieve the level of greatness you both desire."_

"Where are you?" Renamon asked vigilantly yet as calm as can be.

"_I am everywhere where there exists a strive for perfection, for the ones who want to achieve the peek of their potential."_

"Cut the crap!" Rika snapped, angry at the mysterious voice's moral choice of words. "Where are you?"

The voice chuckled. _"...Look at your computer, dear."_

Rika and Renamon reluctantly fixed their eyes at the monitor, it displayed a window with two choices, like one you would see as a pop-up add with two choices. Accept and Decline. "What is this?" Renamon asked.

"_It's time to make a choice. Are you willing to live your life as a weakling and allow your inferiors to insult you? Or will you take command of your destiny and reach your full potential? But in order for you to achieve this power, you will have to leave your world. Will you accept or live your life as your inferiors?"_

Rika narrowed her eyes at the voice. She wasn't inferior, she was the best there was at what she did, and that was taming Digimon. "What makes you think I need your help to be the best at what I do?"

The voice snickered at her. _"You really think you're the best? Then why can't your partner, Renamon Digivolve?"_

She grimaced angrily at the voice, but it did have a point. Her lilac eyes met Renamon's blue ones, both asking themselves the same question. Why was it so difficult to Digivolve?

"Where would you be taking us?" Rika asked, suspicious of the voice's intentions.

Renamon stared at her partner, even though she didn't trust the voice for a second, she too wanted to achieve her next level.

"_The place of origins, the place where all Digimon are born, the Digital Universe."_

"You mean... the Digital World." Renamon asked

"_No, this Universe is a different dimension completely, much different than the world you came from Renamon. Come, and face the greatest challenge of your lives to determine your supremacy. All you have to do is accept"_

Thoughts about how wrong this could go began to flow. But their desire to reach their full potential got the best of them.

Rika growled, reached for the mouse and clicked Accept. As soon as she released the button a blinding light enticed them both and dragged them in to the monitor and into the Digital Universe. Leaving behind everything and everyone they knew for their ambition on power. But who was this voice that spoke to the twosome? What would await Rika and Renamon in the Digital Universe and would they be able to handle the brutal challenges that the Digital Universe threw at them? Or worst of all, would Rika fall a victim to the corruption that power could cause? Many Dangers lie ahead, and without a doubt, the Digital Guardians as well as DATS were going to be on this.

What about Takato and Henry? Will they be blamed for Musyamon's death and have their Digimon taken away? Or will they be forced to join DATS and their effort to keep the two worlds apart? No one knows where the Digital Guardians stand in all this or what their next move is going to be so you're all going to have to tune in for the upcoming chapters and watch as Revolution unfolds the truths about the Digital Guardians and DATS.

* * *

That's it. This chapter is done, like 2010. I am sorry for any typos and please leave me a piece of your mind on a review. Note that Rika Makino is not a typo, I just happen to think that Nonaka is kinda strange and so is Ruki... it sounds like your saying rookie... nevertheless just ignore it. Happy New Years and I wish the best to you all. Stay pure and stay free.


	2. Dream Theater

Digital Revolutions: Corruption Of Minds  
Chapter: 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon... ohh no, what a big surprise!

**_]{Reviews}[_**

**RK-Omega**- It is, I just happened to save it on a external drive. I am just uploading them via someone else computer. I will see to it that it turns out as good as I hope as. Peace and love, bro.

**Aero Angemon**- I very much appreciate you trying to help me and I will be using your idea my friend. One of the much later sagas will be revolved around that idea, and now I have a better thing to add thanks to you.

_**]{Announcement}[**_

Well people here I am again with the next update to the Corruption of Minds Saga. There isn't much to say about the 'politicians' today that I haven't already said, so I'll just say be prepared. Oh and does anyone here network through the PSN?

I would also like to extend my thanks to **ChedderChez** and **Fuuga GF** for favoring this story. Thanks a lot.

Well I am back with another chapter for the Corruption of minds saga. I've gotten a PM asking me about the art, and to be honest, I am not that good because I am busy with a million things, even if I am out of work. But I will be making some for Taichi, Sora, Matt, Izzy, Joe, Mimi Kari, TK, Ryo, Takato, Rika, Henry. I will work on it and hope that I can stay in time with the updates. Now I leave you guys with the quote of the day.

_People like to build their own prison walls when they're afraid to look inside a... A 1000 points of light. The muzzle flashes in the night and the freedoms you profess to hold won't bring the dead back from the cold..._  
-Bruce Dickinson, 1000 points of light

* * *

_Dream Theater_

**_[~]{*}[~]_**

**In a vast and cool** desert that was quelled with the darkness and beautiful glinting stars over the night sky, a preteen stood atop a slope of sand as the cool desert breeze caressed his body. The boy ran his confused emerald eyes across the vast fields of sand and the three moons that loomed over the horizon, already he could see that he was dreaming. The place was like something out of a fantasy dream where even though you were in desert, it was still very pleasant.

He gazed out at the golden seas of sand that went on for miles, but at the end of the ocean, he saw a range of mountains, reflecting the light of the moons and stars off the snow. Never in his life had the young boy seen or had a dream that was so colorful and imaginary.

All his dreams were always reminders of what and how he had to live his life. A constant reminder of how he was suppose to live his life.

He decided to stroll down the pleasant desert, noticing that he was wearing different clothes. A long sleeve sweater with dark pants. Time seemed to go on and he finally reached a wall that was twice his size and had a strange symbol on display. A heart-like figure that took the top half of the wall, and on the bottom a sort of epitaph was inscribed.

_In this desert...  
The harsh winds of time may wear down on our weary souls. The abrasive abuse of the fiery winds may challenge our physical and mental threshold.  
However...  
It's these same winds that reveal to us, our true colors.  
The same winds that gave birth to the end and brought forth the beginning.  
May the winds of love guide your weary spirits._

He partially understood what the inscription meant. It was like something his grandfather told him a while ago. That the worst times bring out the good and bad of people, but it would bring out the best from the friends who truly care about you and start a new and more definitive friendship putting and end to any doubt one had for the other.

That was something ten year-old, Iori Hida, was told.

"Excuse me, but are you going to be long?"

Iori looked down to his feet. A odd four legged creature looked up at him with curiosity.

"Oh, sorry." Iori took a couple of steps back away from the creature, allowing it to crawl out from the sand to reveal his stubby body. The creature appeared to be like an armadillo, and what was strange was that he talked.

"It's ok, most Digimon don't really see me when I'm sleeping." The 'Digimon' said cheerfully while shaking sand off his dirty shell at the same time. "The name is Armadillomon, and you woke me up just in time. That was a good three day nap."

Iori arched a brown at the creature. "My name is Iori." He said a little less mannerly than usual because... well... he was talking to an armadillo who took three day naps.

He watched the armadillo yawn lazily. "...I see you were reading that." He said looking up at stone. "Yup, those are some wise words. Confusing but wise... I guess. Where are you heading?"

"I don't know. Anywhere I guess?"

"Ah, I see that you're the traveling type like myself."

Somehow, this began to feel less and less of a dream to him. Sure it was a little different than what he was normally used to, but he was feeling tired, and suddenly thirsty.

"I can tell that you're thirsty, Iori." Armadillomon said. "Come on, I'm heading to a small lake just a ways away."

"Thank you."

They walked across the sandy slopes at a slow pace, but this gave Iori time to try and figure out if this was truly a dream. In his normal dreams, he would just blink and -poof- he was there already. But here he actually felt that he was using his body. The scent of sand and dust still glittered in the air and even his allergies began to kick in.

After a few short moments they arrived at the lake. The oasis in the desert, a cliché straight out of a movie. Both of them took a few sips of the crystal clear water the lake had to offer.

Iori was taken aback by the purity and taste of the water, even back home the water offered at the schools didn't taste this pure and felt this fresh. "It's really refreshing."

"I'll say." Armadillomon said. "By the way, what type of Digimon are you? You don't look like any Digimon I've seen before."

The term rung a shy bell inside his head. He had heard of Digimon before, back home, but he was never really into many things kids his age were into. "Digimon... what's that?"

"I guess you're not a Digimon..." Armadillomon said and turned away.

Iori arched a brow. He knew he had seen and even heard the term used a lot on earth, but the word alone wasn't enough to paint the picture. He drew his back to the soft sand, trying to connect the dots. He was hoping that the armadillo would tell him a little more about Digimon, but Armadillomon had returned to drinking water. Iori knew better than to interrupt someone when they were eating or drinking. He closed his eyes, the hike to the the small lake had tired him out enough.

* * *

_**[~]{-*-}[~]**_

Iori opened his eyes to be greeted by a pop song on his clock radio. He narrowed his eyes at the blinding sunlight that pierced through his curtains and into his gorgeous deep green eyes, but still he managed to turn off his radio that always played at 6:00 AM everyday. He scanned his room and everything was normal, nothing out of the ordinary.

_'I guess it was a dream'_

A knock at the door made him wince. "Iori, dear, I left breakfast for you on the table." came his mother's voice from the other side of the door.

"Thanks, mom."

Iori got out of bed but waited for his mother to leave before getting out of his room. Normally he would kiss her goodbye but the dream was still on his mind and he didn't want his mother to see his pensive aspect because he knew it would lead to questions, questions that he felt he couldn't answer.

"What did it mean?" He asked himself.

Again, his dreams always had to do with the lectures and stories his grandfather told him about his father. Iori made his way to the living room sofa and rested with a bottle of water in hand, deciding to put his father's memory at ease for now. The dream was something that made him wonder about the path he was taking. He felt that the desert he was in symbolized his tired path, one with many struggles and hardships. But again, the armadillo kept popping up in his head. He had never imagined such a creature before, more or less one that actually spoke human language.

"Digimon." He said suddenly remembering what the creature said. He hopped on his computer and searched for the keyword, 'Digimon'.

He was right, it was the show and card game, but he had never seen the armadillo in any way whatsoever, it made him wonder how is that he managed to dream him up. Even as he tried to come up with a answer, he kept seeing images of the creature in his mind.

He continued by searching the Digimon's name, Armadillomon.

He was more confused to see that the pictures shown on the computer were an exact to the Digimon he saw in his dream in a card, the background of the desert was the same. It was baffling.

He glanced at the time on his computer. It read 6:12 AM he still had time to spare and more, before school started that is – he was lucky, he would always wake up early, have his breakfast, and still he had time to watch some news. Some would mistake him for a healthy twenty year old but he was still ten years away from that age. He had never grown to fond of the things normal kids did, he was always busy with school, Kendo and his chores. Some would call him a square or a drone, but he enjoyed Kendo.

He had his breakfast and thought it would be a good idea to watch some news to try and digress his mind from that dream. He flipped the TV over the local news channel and sat down on his sofa – he still had an hour before he had to leave for school, which started at 7:30 AM.

"_... We'll keep you informed if the police find anything."_ A man on the ports of Odaiba said before the news returned to the news room.

"_Ok, now we take you to the most touched topic of the month – Jihad. In their last concert, a controversial statement was made by the band that has upset many fans overseas, while having many fans, here in Japan, filled with excitement. Now we will have a statement that will put an end to the rumors and arguments, we will have with us, Apollo, via satellite from China. Hopefully, Apollo, will relieve the stress from many fans who have been contentiously debating whether what he said was true or not, last month."_

Iori stared at the picture of the man that was posted to side of the reporter, he had long blonde hair with fire orange highlights, almost like a lion. He could only wonder how a person would handle the burden of washing their hair every day. He sighed, this wasn't newsworthy for him and flipped the channel to the world news. Maybe there was something important going on overseas that could affect him, his mother, and his grandfather.

"_... But how is it that you think this killer is getting from continent to continent without being detected or even raising suspicion among very high intelligence agencies such as the CIA, Interpol, or even the military intelligence agency?"_ A man on the top of the screen asked to a man Iori knew very well – The chief of police of Shinjuku.

"_We think that this individual may be using various aliases and without any source as to what he may look like of any DNA, making his detection is impossible. We are trying very hard to make sure a tragedy like this doesn't occur in Japan again."_

He arched a brow, he had been watching the slaying this killer was doing, and it wasn't just a single person. It was a mass. Every month it was the same thing, and again, they didn't seem to have a lead on that.

"_It seems that Japan is having no better luck than the United States, Russia, or even China in tracking down this vigilante, and some people are wondering if it's best to leave him alone, since it seems that only the highest and most wanted of criminals are being targeted. What is your opinion on comments like these?"_

"_People have a right to say what they want. But I think the proper term for this 'vigilante' is 'terrorist'. Although some people see this person as a enforcer, the question that rises in all intelligence agencies around the world; why is this person doing this and for who. All the criminals were rich and powerful, one has to wonder how this individual managed to get passed all their security to get to them, and murder them. It's still something we are trying to figure out."_

"_I see, well thanks a lot sir, now we'll let you get back to work." _The reporter said._ "You heard it, and by now you've heard that every country this vigilante has targeted, has different theories as to why this is happening. Now on a different topic, Jihad. Has the band decided to stay in Japan after their last gig? All the answers and more when we come back later at six."_

Iori shut off the TV. A mad person was out on a killing spree and people could only talk about was a band. He wondered how people could live like that, in ignorance on what true shape the world was in. Sure he was ten, and somewhat more mature than most people in high school, but that's how he was raised. He glanced at the clock hanging over his Television.

6:36 AM, it read.

He still had enough time to get a small power nap in, before heading to school. He shut his eyes and slowly his mind drifted away from the chaos in the world.

* * *

_**[~]{*}[~]**_

Ioir awoke to find himself once again in the desert. The sun was up and scorching over the golden seas. He was under the shade of a palm tree, with Armadillomon no where to be seen. He looked out into the vast horizon, the sun waving the edges of the desert borders, he could see that this wasn't going to be a easy feat to reach the ends of the desert. The three moons were gone and the many colors that littered the sky were now only blue.

"I guess that's what that stone meant." he said remembering the stone with the epitaph.

He looked at the lake, there were several more creatures modestly drinking from the lake. He smiled at them, wondering if they to were Digimon. There was an aura of hope where he rested, an oasis that would give any weary traveler hope the get out of this desert. A cliché that was well received in real-life scenarios.

The small Digimon stared at him for a brief second before deciding that he wasn't a threat and returned to drinking their water.

"Well looks like someone's finally awake." Iori turned around to find Armadillomon, bearing several fruits on his back. "Thought you could use something to eat." he said

Iori smiled. "Thank you." he said gratefully and helped him take off his load. The two sat side to side on the warm sand, under the shade of the palm tree and the glare of the sun on the lake.

"Where are you from?" The Digimon asked.

"Japan. I currently live in the Shinjuku area." He answered courteously. "Where are you from?"

It took the Digimon a second to come up with his answer. "That's a good question... I think I come from somewhere in the Steel Area."

"Where's that at?" Iori asked curiously.

"I forgot, I've been traveling this desert for a while and I got lost, but I was told to search for someone." The Digimon answered somewhat stressed.

"Someone?By who?"

The Digimon shrugged. "I don't even know who I am looking for. I just know that I need to find someone."

Iori arched a brow. This Digimon seemed more complicated than the thought. "Where am I?"

"The desert."

Iori rolled his eyes. " I know, but where exactly? Is this like... Afghanistan or something?"

"Afgha-whaa? No, this is Planet Harmony... at least that's what I was told."

Iori stared at the Digimon, he wondered if this Digimon had complicated issues or if the creature was as lost as he was. "Okay, we need to find someone who can give us some answers."

"I don't know about that." Armadillomon said with a tone of hesitation. "Digimon who are in the rookie level like me tend to be friendly but less informed. It's the champions and ultimates that know about this place and they're not at all too friendly. It's going to be hard to find a Digimon who knows anything."

"But it's still better than sitting around here."

"Guess, you're right, but we better take a drink before we leave cause we won't be able to come back if you get thirsty."

So they did just that and wondered off from the oasis.

The walk was intense, in less than twenty minutes, Iori was already sweating and wondering how the Armadillo Digimon could stand such an atrocious heat wave. The wind was dry and hot, forcing Iori to squint his eyes to try and prevent the burning touch of the winds. It was like being in a oven, he had no shelter from the heat. The sand itself felt like boiling water trying to slowly swallow him whole. Walking in the desert was truly proving to be a real hard task.

One that was proving to be a daunting task for Iori.

"It's... sort of ironic" Iori uttered dryly. "The way... this desert can be so pleasant at night... and so overwhelmingly hot in the day."

"Yup." said Armadillomon, who seemed unfazed by the heat. "I guess that's what the writing meant. This place is hot."

"You don't seem so... bothered by the heat." Iori said shaking off a slight daze.

"Nah. I'm a Digimon of heat, I can't stand the cold. I can last days without a drink here."

Iori sort of laughed and stopped in his tracks. Everything was spinning around and the sun's glares were getting brighter. His head quickly began to ache and his vision began to blur. Before he knew it everything went black, with the image of a angel-like man as the last thing to cross his eyes.

* * *

**_[~]{-*-}[~]_**

Iori jolted up from the couch to a ringing phone. He immediately felt his body to make sure that he was alive and that angel figure was just his imagination. "What's wrong with me?" He stared at his hands, they were dry and he was still craving a drink of water.

He rushed to the kitchen, unaware that the phone had rung or even stopped ringing. He took a big glass of water and gulped it down like never before. He placed down the glass and averted his green eyes to the phone that was beeping, signaling that it held a message in it's memory bank. He wondered who it was that called him. Everyone that contacted him knew very well that his mother was working and he was in school...

His eyes went wide. He snapped his head at the watch in the microwave oven. He had slept more than two hours into his school time. It was clear that he was being called from his school and his mother was going to find out. He wondered how was it that he passed in two hours of sleep. He never slept that long knowing that he had to go to school.

Again he asked himself the same question. "What's wrong with me?"

He absentmindedly packed his things and headed to school, in hopes that they would excuse his tardiness.

Quickly, he slipped through the crowds of people who stared at him suspiciously. Most likely wondering why he wasn't in school. But he ignored them. He needed to get to school and try to forget this dream. But as fate would have it, he saw something that caught his eyes. A store with a Digimon sign up on the window display, caught his attention. Reluctantly he entered the store, already accepting the fact that he was going to be late for school.

He was surprised to see that the Digimon game was so popular. Normally his focus would be in his the memories his grandfather told him about his father, but he would hardly pay any mind to childish things such as Digimon.

"Can I help you, young man." the lady wearing a odd costume said. She had pink pedals for a skirt and looked very flowery.

Iori spotted a small foil package of cards behind a glass counter. "Yes, I'll take one of those, please."

The lady handed him the small package and took his money. "Aren't you suppose to be in school?" she asked.

Iori nodded. "I am, but I overslept. I honestly never done this before. Thanks a lot." He bowed and left the shop.

He opened the package as he wondered to his school. He read passed the cards quickly and found it. The Digimon he saw in his dream. Armadillomon. This was the first time, other than his dream, that he had seen the creature.

_'so he's really a digimon. But what did that dream mean?'_ he asked himself and shuffled the card into his other hand and found a holographic card. The picture showed a strange yellow object with a purple symbol. It read 'Digi-Egg Of Knowledge.'

He arched a brow. It was unlike any egg he had seen. He stared at the time in his wrist watch. It was already ten, that did it. His curiosity was beat. He needed to figure more things out about Digimon. He pivoted and went back home. It's not that he wanted to miss, but he figured that he was too late and figuring this out would be a little more exciting. If there was something his grandfather taught him, it was to trust his gut and follow his heart.

And his gut was telling him that he needed to dig into this a little more.

He arrived at his home, and stared at the Armadillomon card. It was still strange to him to have dreamed about a creature that he had never seen until today on a piece of paper. He leaned back on his computer chair and studied the Digimon card game. He had found out that the big band that everyone was talking about, opened for the Digimon show with one of their own exclusive songs to the show. And even so he figured out that one of the band members themselves came up with the idea.

But there was nothing special about it – as far as he was concerned it was just another trend that emerged and would probably be forgotten in a few years.

Again the phone next to his computer chimed. He wondered who it was again. He picked up the phone and didn't say a word wondering who was on the other end.

"Hello Iori." A gravelly voice came through the other end. "Did you have a nice dream?"

Iori arched a brow. "Who's this? And how do you know my name."

"Who am I? How can you be so sure that you are not dreaming this or that you're even hearing my voice?"

"What?"

The voice continued "... How can you be sure that you're not just caught in a paradox and living in a world where nothing is real yet so real as to cost you your life?"

Iori was confused. He had no idea what this person was talking about or what he was trying to say. "I don't know what you are talking about."

"Of course you don't. How can you when you are being given a false life. Do you want to know what that dream of yours meant?"

Iori didn't know how to answer to a complete stranger, he had never come across something like this before, and even though he was taught never to speak to strangers, he didn't know how to react to a stranger on a phone. He felt it was very rude to just hang up on him.

"Who is this?" He asked again.

There was a eerie chuckle. "If you want to find out, return to the Digital Universe and I will inform you even more."

The line went silent, leaving Iori confused and wondering how to dream the same thing three times in a row. Luckily he was still feeling sleepy and even thirsty, he was determined to figure out if this person was just watching him like if it were some sick joke, or if this individual had some sort of knowledge as to what these dreams were all about. He didn't know who else to turn to.

He laid on his couch and closed his eyes, relaxing his body and dazing off into a sleep. Yet a part of his mind knew where he was going to.

* * *

_**[~]{*}[~]**_

His green eyes blurred into focus and saw several shadows with light pressing through several openings. It was a very splendid and poetic view, like life as he saw it – No matter how hard the darkness tried to pull someone under, the light always shined it's radiant and holiness over anyone willing to accept it.

"Are you ok?"

Iori blinked and looked at Armadillomon. It was strange but he was expecting the sleeping to work. But the voice managed to confuse him more than he thought – was he sleeping or had he awoken from a dream. If this wasn't a dream, then he had been sleeping for a long time. The heat of the desert wasn't there anymore and no longer was he surrounded by seas of sand, instead he was covered by trees, grass and lushes flowers.

"I think you're still a little dazed from the heat exhaustion."

A new voice soothed through Iori's ears. He turned around to see a angelic man with a pair of feathery wings. He stood tall with the desert in the background and the light flickering a fairy-like glow over his wings. He appeared to be someone Iori could trust.

"Tell me, are you a human?" The angel Digimon asked.

Iori shakily stood up and bowed politely. "Yes... I am Iori Hida." He noticed that the angel was taken aback by his courtesy and possibly even his tone.

"I... I am Piddomon, Guardian of the Hope Continent." The Digimon said rather hesitantly. (A/N: For those who don't know, Piddomon is the Angemon-look-alike that came out in the Trailmon race in Digimon Frontier.)

"You're a Digimon?" Iori asked. "But you look just like a man."

The Digimon seemed to become more at ease due to the boy's confusion. "You're... obviously new to the Digital Universe, otherwise you'd know that I am a humanoid Digimon."

"Yup. Here in the Digital Universe, Digimon come in many forms. Like myself." Armadillomon said.

"True. But I have a question. How did you end up in the desert?" Piddomon inquired.

Iori sort of shrugged. "I don't know, I'm not even sure if I am dreaming or not." Iori answered with a little frustration.

"Well allow me to assure you that you are not dreaming. This place is very real." Piddomon said, trying to wash away the tension in the young boy.

Iori sat back down, he was still tired and his confusion just added to the burden. "Do you think you can tell me where I am?"

Piddomon nodded. "You are in Planet Harmony, one of many Planets in the Digital Universe, also known as the Digital Dimension to the Digital Guardians."

"Digital Dimension?" Iori asked. He had heard about the dimension theories in his science classes, but his teacher had said that they were merely theories. "Like a parallel universe?"

"Precisely. We are in a Universe that was created inside Earth's Communication System. The Digital Guardians protect the Digital Universe and have more authority than anyone, they can also cross between dimensions. Which is what I think you did."

Iori remained silent, he got his answer as to where he was but only to have a million more questions rise up in his head. One of the was beating in his head more than the others – was this the guy who called him? His voice certainly didn't match the one on the phone.

"I take it that you are a new recruit for the Digital Guardians?" Piddomon asked.

Iori remained silent.

If this was a parallel dimension, and he could get to it by simply falling asleep, then was it only a mental process or did he teleport of someway. He wasn't sure what to believe, the voice in the phone said that he would learn more if he was to return. But now that he knew how to return to the Digital Universe, how was he going to get back home? The same way, or maybe some other way. Did he have a time limit? He didn't know. What about his school, or his family, what would they think if he was suddenly missing?

"Iori?" Armadillomon asked.

He winced a little, forcing himself out of his deep thoughts. "What?"

"Piddomon asked you a question."

Iori faced to the looming Digimon, his helmet lightly reflecting the sun's glare.

"Are you one of the Digital Guardians?" He asked again.

"I've never heard of them." Iori answered. His mind was still trying to process the whole digital dimension thing.

"Hmm... Then may I ask what that is?" The angel pointed towards Iori's pocket.

He reached in and pulled out a opalescent blue card, the symbol of a dinosaur and a 'D' in the center. He found the other cards inside his pocket, but couldn't find the Armadillomon card he got.

Iori noticed that Piddomon was captivated by the mere presence of the mysterious blue card, while Armadillomon wasn't. He knew that Armadillomon wasn't too informed about anything, so the way that Piddomon seemed so interested in it made him wonder if it was safe to show it off like so. He knew what something of value could do to a person.

"Are you one of the Digidestined?" The tall angel asked enthusiastically. "You must be. d'Arcmon said that the Digidestined would come; wielding the blue flag."

"d'Arcmon?" Iori asked. "I am sorry but I don't know who these Digidestined are or who d'Arcmon is."

Piddomon immediately bowed to his feet. "You must be, you have the blue card."

"No I'm just trying to figure out more about this place."

Piddomon ignored him and took his hand with the card he held. "d'Arcmon said: 'when the time comes, the Digidestined would come waving the blue flag to reclaim their place as the guardians of the Digital Universe'."

Iori stared at him slightly scared and confused. He never had an adult or even a person act like how Piddomon was. "Please, stop. I don't know who the Digidestined are, and I doubt I am one of..."

Iori trailed off staring at a person who walked out of the bushes. He had spiky hair, a black jacket with flames, dark brown cargo shorts, and some goggles. Giving him that jet pilot look.

"Hey." The teen said coyly.

* * *

Well that's it for this chapter people. Review, lemmy know what you think, and for those who regularly review – Thanks. Stay tuned. Peace, Hope, Freedom, and Love to you all and never lose faith for we are Xros Heart.


	3. When a Dream Comes True

Digital Revolutions: Corruption Of Minds  
Chapter: 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon...

]{Reviews}[

**Omega**- Yeah... I kinda feel like I went overboard with that. I will try to make him more childish... It's just kinda hard, he's always serious in the anime and barely childish. Yeah it's from Balls to Picasso... .or something like that.

**Aero Angemon**- Hah, yeah. It's a strange but I had that idea in my mind for a while now, in fact I was going to use it in the first saga. By the way, I got my wacom tablet back so I am going to get to work on the Megidramon, I will be posting up on the RK website.

Hello everyone, and I would like to apologize in advance if I stop writing in the near future. Don't worry about the reason, I just promise to write this if I get the chance. Now, this chapter is going to go back to hand the ball back to Daisuke and the way he got to the Digital Universe in the end of the previous chapter. I know I went a little overboard with Iori's personality but you know, I wanted to give him that square look to him and you know what... he kinda reminds me of a good friend of mine who passed away...

Again I leave you with the quote of the day.

_No matter how fast the light may travel, it will always find that the darkness has been there first. For Humans, it's different, because we are born within the light and fall pray to the lies of the darkness so easily._  
- ? (In the later chapters, someone will mention this, can you guess who?)

_

* * *

When a Dream Comes True..._

"**Motomiya!" Mr. Fujiyama scolded**. "You need to start paying more attention, otherwise I'm going to fail you!"

"Yes, sir." Daisuke was standing and forced to embarrass himself for not paying attention in front of the entire class, and to make matters worst, his beloved Hikari was watching him make a fool of himself. He had to read and answer questions he had no answers to, while the class laughed at him making his punishment much more severe.

He sighed and sat back down on his seat. He was bored out his mind and the Makino girl was absent, meaning that he couldn't make an effort to at least talk quietly in class. It had been two days and she was still awol. He tried to hang out with Hikari during their breaks but she was always busy. He wondered if he had done or said something wrong to make her so distant these past two days. She would avoid him whenever possible and barely said a word in class anymore.

He stared at her from across the room. She seemed like she was lost in her thoughts, giving him a sort of alleviation from his awkward punishment. _'I really want to know what's wrong with her.'_

Daisuke returned his attention to the board and began to take notes to prevent being scolded by Mr. Fujiyama once again, but Hikari was still in his mind. He had been really worried about her.

–x-x–

It was lunch time, and Hikari was no where to be seen. Daisuke sighed in frustration, if he had the same classes as she did all the way to the end of the day, he might have been able to catch her before she disappeared all the way to the end of school, that is what she had been doing in the past two days. He had skipped his lunch, his concern supplanted the cry of hunger from his stomach.

"Hey, Dai."

Daisuke sighed once again, not only was Hikari not with him, but now he had to deal with the energetic and loud girl who beat him to a humiliating puppy that would get remorse from all the Digimon tamers in his school. He turned around to meet Miyako making her way to him, a look of concern crossing her eyes, but she still smiled. That is what he disliked most, she acted as if nothing happened, as if his moves didn't faze her enough to even consider him a rival.

"What do you want Miyako?" Daisuke asked a little unwillingly.

She arched a brow at him and scoffed. "Someone's grumpy... Any who. I wanted to ask you if you knew where Hika was at?"

Daisuke shrugged, his first assumption was that Hikari was with her. _'Guess that one went out the window'_. "I don't know."

Miyako rolled her eyes at him. "Well let me know if she's ok. She's been a little distant the past couple of days, and I'm worried about her."

"You'll be the first to know." He answered absentmindedly, giving him a sarcastic tone.

Miyako literally jabbed herself next to Daisuke shoving him a little from his seat. She sat cross-armed. "Just what is your problem with me?" She asked indignantly because ever since she beat him and took his Imperialdramon, he had been pushing her temper with his dismissive attitude "Is it because I won your Imperialdramon or the fact that I'm a girl and beat you? If you want your card that bad you can have it."

Okay, now she was seriously ticked off. She had skipped agitated and went straight to angry. Luckily for Daisuke, she wasn't making a scene. That would be embarrassing. "No, it's just that... I am worried about Kari too." he answered calmly.

The lavender-hair girl's attitude changed immediately. "Oh... well you could have told me." She was much more calm, he noticed that about the girl with the overgrown glasses. She changed from worried to cheeky to angry to concerned. Strangely enough she seemed concerned over him.

Daisuke sighed yet again, stood up and left Miyako alone. Without worrying if she had his Imperialdramon card, because to him, Hikari was much more important to him than some card at the moment. If Hikari wasn't with her, then where was she?

)-/After school\-(

The spiky goggle head found himself in Shinjuku park, it was a shortcut which he took back home everyday with Hikari, but even so he walked alone. He tried to catch her after school, but she gotten in a car with a strange man and girl that he had never seen before. It made him wonder if she had gotten in some trouble that even Taichi didn't know of, though he was highly doubtful because he knew Hikari was too smart to get in trouble. But he didn't know who those people were.

And he knew Hikari pretty well, yet he had never seen those two characters before.

Daisuke stopped at a set of stairs and sat down. He wondered what was going on with his not-so-secret crush. Even Taichi refused to mention anything about her to him. He was feeling left out, almost as if by some malignant curse, their long relationship was torn apart.

"No." He muttered. He wasn't going to let himself think like that, he was reading too much into this. Maybe it was the homework or classwork, maybe they were too hard, something he wouldn't know of because he didn't pay attention. Or perhaps it was that change that all the girls went through. He sighed and mentally smacked himself, he was starting to panic. "I'll talk to Hikari tomorrow. She's never acted like this. And I'm sure she needs my help."

He stood up to leave but a sudden glow just out of the corner of his eye caught his attention.

"Who's there?" He asked, wondering who was as rude as to eavesdrop on his monologue. The glow wondered off further up the steps and Daisuke impulsively followed it. He ran and ran, but it looked to him as if the glow was matching his speed precisely.

He finally stopped after a few minutes, by the small den where the glow had first ran through. He took in some much needed air and began to wonder what it was. At first he thought it was a kid playing around with a flashlight, but as he ran more and more it was able to match his speed – the speed of an ex-captain of a soccer team – it was just unheard of for a kid of that height. Daisuke was fast, he knew that, but to have been outrun so easily at the end... it just made him wonder what the heck that was.

"Who are you?"

Daisuke nearly jumped at the voice that asked him who he was. He was left speechless to see who was talking. He recognized the monster immediately, red skin with black markings, and gentle yellow eyes. It was a Guilmon.

But Daisuke shook off his mystified mind clear, and narrowed his eyes at the somewhat tall dinosaur. "Ok, kid. Get that stupid costume off." He said knowing very well that Digimon was just a Show and a Card Game... ne?

The red dinosaur just stared at him, confused.

"Well?" Daisuke pressed while he studied the 'costume' more closely. He couldn't put his finger on it, how someone standing like that could outrun him, and his costume was so perfect. If the so-called Digimon could only spit a fireball right there and then, he would be convinced that the costume was not actually a disguise but the real thing. "Can you... fire a Pyro Sphere?" he asked tentatively

Guilmon shook his head. "No, Takatomon said not to."

Daisuke was slightly taken aback by the baby tone Guilmon spoke in. He knew Guilmon as the wiliness Digimon who ached for a fight. "Wait what did you say?"

"Takatomon said not to fight with anyone." Guilmon rehearsed.

_'Takato?'_ He asked himself, wondering what Takato had to do with this possible Digimon. "Just fire it, Takato...mon said it was ok."

"He did?" The Digimon asked and quickly smiled. "Okay... Pyro Sphere!"

He barely caught a glimpse of the fiery attack before having to duck for his life. Guilmon had blasted his blast at him, barely missing. "Holy..." Daisuke managed to say as he stared at the Digimon innocently smile.

"You're fast." The Digimon said cheerily. "Do you want me to fire again?"

Daisuke stared at the burnt tree that had been caught in the blast instead of him. He had sauteed it to a crisp. "No, no... That's good enough." Daisuke said, a smile slowly forming over his scared face.

_'he's real. A real Digimon but why did he mention Takato? Could he be Guilmon's partner.'_ He thought and slightly saddened at the thought of Takato having a partner Digimon.

"_...Because we're stronger and bolder than ever before. The holy light – let it shine over me. Give me the strength I need to push the sorrows of darkness ..."_ His Acoustic ring-tone softly chimed the song from the band, Jihad and one of it's many popular songs – Spread the Light.

Daisuke nearly dropped his phone, excited with being in the presence of a real-live Digimon. "M-moshi-moshi. This is Daisuke speaking." He answered giddily.

"Hey twerp, mom's asking when you're going to be home."

His mood suddenly did a one-eighty, it was his sister, Jun. He glanced at the time displayed on his cell phone's screen. It read 5:24 PM. His eyes widened. "Tell mom, I'll be there in a jiffy." with that he hung up. "I wish I could stay with you a bit longer, but I have to go." Daisuke told the Digimon.

"Aww... but promise to bring bread?" The Digimon asked.

"Err... yeah, but only if you don't tell Takato about me."

The Digimon jumped up and down, with joy. "I promise, I promise!"

He didn't want to leave, but it was getting late and his sister's nagging would only worsen if he was late. He ran down the stairs, quickly turning his way out of the park and back en route to his house. He was still thinking about the 'real' Digimon he encountered and Hikari's recent abstracted personality.

–x-x–

"Yeah, yeah... I heard you the first time, Jun." Daisuke slammed the door shut barely managing to block out his sister's tantrum. So he lightly shoved her while she was doing her make up for her date, it wasn't like he did it on purpose. Besides, she had lied to him, his mother was still not home from work, all she wanted from him was to have him do his chores on time... reasonable excuse, but not to him.

He stretched on his chair. He couldn't get the Digimon out his mind, nor could he get Hikari out of his mind either.

Though he had gotten into Digimon for Hikari, he had grown to become a fanatic and a darn good tamer before Miyako wiped the floor with him.

As for Hikari... well she was the girl for him. His one and only.

She was in every way perfect. She was pretty in the mornings, the afternoons, and even in the evenings. When he would sleepover to practice with Taichi, he would see her in her pajamas with her hair perfectly in shape and her grace still intact. Her smile always made his day; he could be bored, disappointed, sad, or even in mental agony over homework – her smile would just wash that all away. To see her in distress and not smile was not something Daisuke had prepared for. He had grown accustom to see her smile and be happy every day.

He pulled out his Digimon cards. They were a good distraction. He had amassed a powerful collection but with his most prized and strong Imperialdramon FM it wasn't all that useful. He still carried with him the dragon mode but it wasn't nearly as powerful.

"What the?" He pulled out a blue card where his Digi-Egg Of Courage was suppose to be. By tilting it back and forth, he could see a small 'D' and a Agumon-like monster over it. "Where did this come from?"

Suddenly his computer turned on, slightly startling him. It read that Hikari was online. In less than a heartbeat he signed in his IM. _'let's take this nice and slow...'_ he decided.

_Dai-Dai - "Hey, Hikari. Whats happening?"_ he typed.

A minute went by before a reply came.

_Hikari-Chan -"Nothing. I'm just a little busy."_

_Dai-Dai -"Really? Do u want me to help u with anything?"_ he replied almost as instantly as he received the message.

_Hikari-Chan -"It's something I have to do alone. I really appreciate you asking though. :)"_

_Dai-Dai -"Are u sure?"_

A couple of minutes went by without a reply, Daisuke wondered what else she was doing to detain her from writing back to him. He knew her for answering his messages quickly.

_Hikari-Chan -"I'm sure Dai. I know I've been a little distant lately, and I am really thankful to have a friend like you who cares about me, but I need to do this alone ."_

Daisuke smiled. He could never outwit her in a conversation, she was too smart for that... or maybe he didn't know how to pick the right angle... or perhaps he made his concern in her too obvious. But the fact that she used the term 'friend' disappointed him a little.

_Hikari-chan has logged off_

Daisuke read. She was online for only a couple of minutes and it made him wonder what it was that she was doing if she was really busy. He leaned back on his chair and pulled up the blue card. He was going to trust what Hikari said to him and believe that she was ok. The mystery of the blue card was still in his head and so was Guilmon.

His computer read 6:13 PM. He couldn't go back to see Guilmon and make it back in time before his mother came home. After all, he was still grounded; unless everything in his room was neatly unpacked and ordered up to his mother's liking. It had been almost a complete week and he was still unpacked.

-You got mail!- The computer voice came (You know, like the one from Aol. Annoying, yet helpful)

With a simple click, his computer screen went blue and began to fill up with 0s and 1s. "Aww great!" He snapped and picked up the Anti-Virus protection program box that rested next to his mouse pad. "Virus Protection my ass." He jabbed the reset button in his computer but it wouldn't reset, and still the numbers kept pooping up. He sighed and unplugged his computer, but strangely enough, the blasted thing wouldn't turn off. "What the?"

Suddenly a envelope-like icon appeared and the culmination of numbers stopped.

Daisuke arched a brow. He knew he had not treated his computer with proper care, but for it to go this haywire was... well just strange.

"Hmm..." He clicked on the icon, without worrying his computer got worst by doing so. Hell, the power cord was off and it was still running, if anything it had become better; no more electricity to waste.

Suddenly – again – his computer screen went black, but the flashing letter navigator was blinking, indicating that it was still running.

_Hello... Daisuke._

His eyes narrowed and questions rushed through his mind as more phrases began to form on his computer, almost as if someone was typing to him live.

_I know what you are thinking, boy. But I am here to offer you a chance to accomplish your wildest dreams. _

Daisuke scoffed and tried to turn off his monitor. But like his HDD, it would not shut off.

_I can do this one of two ways, boy. Option A: I can offer you the chance of a lifetime calmly and kindly. Option B: I can force you. However I don't recommend it._

Placing his hands over his keyboard, he typed the following. _I choose B. You don't scare me._ Just like that Daisuke calmly pushed his keyboard in and went to bed. He knew it was still early, but he wanted to catch up on his sleep if he wanted to see Guilmon in the morning. As for the freak show his computer put up, he wasn't too concerned about it. He may not have known much about computers but he knew that hackers could do all sorts of crazy things like that. Besides, Daisuke had never allowed anyone to push him around or manipulate him, other than his mother. He was exactly like Taichi in that category.

_You will regret that choice, boy. _The computer screen went dark after it's last phrase and a sinister mist began to slowly creep into the goggle head's room as he slowly dozed off into his dreams. Despite what his answer to the mysterious _computer hacker_, his dreams were going to come true... but so were his nightmares.

–x-x–

His chocolate eyes couldn't believe what he saw. The way the hills curved with life and fields of grass and trees was just like something would see on the Discovery channel. Never would he have dreamed that such a place could exist, even in his dreams. His hair strolled gently through the fresh breeze that stroked through his entire body, almost as if it were cleansing him. His mind and body felt so relaxed like never before – like nothing could go wrong or there like if there were no worries.

Daisuke studied the area. Trees were in perfect distant away from each other and were growing with fruits. The grass was at a decent height, almost if someone had trimmed it. But something different caught his eyes. It was about half his size and it was wearing a purplish hat that matched it's fear educed lilac eyes. It was Bearmon.

"Are... are you a Digimon." He asked feeling a little awkward asking that question for a second time in the day, but after seeing Guilmon; anything could be possible to him.

The Digimon did not say or move an inch. It's eyes showed fear and a cry for help from anyone other than the human that stood before it. Daisuke could only wonder why.

"Hey I'm not going to..." He tried to approach the Digimon but it just backed away from him.

"Stay away from me!"

Daisuke watched the Digimon disappear into the forest, several other Digimon that were hiding in the grass followed him.

He watched them run for their lives, wondering what the heck was wrong. "Maybe Humans aren't seen as often here... wherever I am at..."

He scanned his surroundings, he began to wonder if this was a dream because he just saw a small herd of Digimon run away from him. Usually his dreams would involve him and Hikari somehow in a romantic place like the one he stood on, but this did not feel like a dream, nor was it anything he would dream about. Sure he knew his dreams were random, but he could still remember them.

He looked at his clothes, he had a very stylish black jacket adorned with flames and a brown undershirt. A pair of cargo shorts dropped just below his knees and his trusty goggles were still in place. Indeed very different from what he wore. This made him think it was more of a dream – a very strange dream where he didn't have a music theme playing in the background.

He decided to take a stroll around the mysterious forest instead of the fields that laid to the opposite of the forest. As he traveled he could smell a variation of things, like the fresh wood of every tree, and many other things one could hear and smell in a forest. But as he continued, he could feel that someone was watching him, most likely the 'Digimon' that ran away from him.

He felt weird to think that Digimon were actually running away from him; as far as he knew, they were fighting machines.

He stopped at a larger tree, one larger than the others. One that rivaled – if not – surpassed the tallest of skyscrapers. He walked towards the root of it and came upon a peculiar mirror that hung on the nicely shaved tree. It had a epitaph engraved on it.

_The winds of love and courage may force one to their limits.  
So much so that one may forget the gifts these attributes bring.  
This forest is a testament to the pure winds of love and the giving sun that shines it's everlasting hope over this forest and the entire continent.  
The Spirit Of AncientKazemon rests at peace here..._

Daisuke's eyes went wide. "A... AncientKazemon?" He knew about the ancient warriors through the Digimon card game and the TV show, they were among the rarest of cards next to the Royal Knights and Olympus Twelve. "Is this a dream or..." He trailed off, a smile forming on his face. "... or am I in the Digital World?"

"Stay away from that, human!" A Digimon Daisuke knew very well emerged from the bushes, ready to pick a fight.

"It's Floramon." He whispered. "What? This thing?" he asked pointing at the mirror.

The Digimon nodded. "If you know what's good for you, you'll leave this forest NOW."

He didn't know what drove him to do it, but it was too good of an opportunity to pass. "What if I don't want to?" he said with a playful grin.

All of a sudden, many more Digimon emerged from the many trees and bushes. Erasing whatever sort of prank Daisuke had on his mind. "You had your chance – ATTACK!" The small Digimon ordered.

Daisuke's grin had disappeared completely and he turned tail and ran for his life. He had seen what a lone Digimon's attack could do earlier, he didn't want to stick around and get blown to his death. He whiz passed many trees, barely avoiding getting hit again and again.

_'You had to open your big mouth' _He mentally scolded himself as he pushed many baby branches that slapped him as he went by. The attacks subsided – he looked back and saw nothing but trees. _'Come on, what are you waiting for dumb-ass, they can still catch up.'_ He continued to walk in the direction he was heading. He wondered if all Digimon were as unfriendly as they were. He also began to wonder how powerful a mega level Digimon truly was, he had a Floramon in his collection of Digimon cards and it was often seen as a weaker one.

"Please stop." Daisuke heard a voice say just to the side of the bushes where he stood. "I don't know who the Digidestined are..." It sounded like a boy – He walked through the bushes. "... and I doubt that I am one of..."

Daisuke stopped, staring at the short boy with emerald green eyes. He looked at the tall humanoid-Digimon that was in front of him, bowing to him. "Hey..." Daisuke said tentatively and walked trough completely.

"... Hello." The younger boy answered back.

_'Are you sure this is a dream? Make sure before you make an idiot of yourself. Come on Daisuke think, think.'_

"Are you another Digimon?" the boy asked

Daisuke stared at the boy's green eyes. He was clearly human because he saw the confusion in him. "What? No, I'm not a Digimon. Why would you ask me that?"

He bowed politely. "I'm sorry, it's just that too many strange things have happened to me and now I don't know what is what..."

He could hear the stress in the young boy's voice. But maybe it had something to do with his goggles that he was confused for a digimon.

"You..." The angelic Digimon stood up and pointed at him. "You wave the blue flag as well."

Daisuke looked at his jacket and saw that the blue card he discovered earlier was sticking out of his pocket. He was already convinced that this wasn't a dream, the blue card established that. No way could he had dramnt up something like this, not in a million years.

"You must be one of the Digidestined as well."

"Huh?" confusion washed over Daisuke as the Digimon bowed down to him as well. "What's wrong with this guy?"

The younger boy shrugged. "I don't know. He keeps going on about these Digidestined."

"This must be a sign." Piddomon nearly exclaimed. "The Digital Guardians have tasked me to deliver you to the temple."

"Temple?" Both boys asked.

Piddomon jerked himself up. "Yes, the temple is where all the blue flags are to placed to bestow upon the Digidestined their devices – I must have been destined to lead you to it."

The enthusiasm in the angelic Digimon's voice would have sounded like sarcasm, but Daisuke knew the Arch Angel family pretty good. He knew that a Digimon with a biography of being nothing but pure and honest, could do something like that.

"I say we do as he says." Daisuke had not notice the Digimon that rested next to the tall Angel – again he knew the name and attributes of Armadillomon. "He's a good champion level Digimon, he wouldn't lie to us." Armadillomon said.

"Ok. Lead the way Piddomon." Daisuke said.

"You know my name? You must be one of the Digidestined!" Piddomon said.

A nervous laugh was Daisuke's answer. He felt that he couldn't answer that one, even with a lie. "Come on, let's just get to the temple."

"Very well, give me the privilege to carry you two to our destination."

Without a warning, Piddomon lifted both boys on to his shoulders. "Hey, can I come too?" Armadillomon asked.

Piddomon stared at the rookie Digimon and nodded. "Sure." Releasing Iori for a brief second, he picked up the small rookie level Digimon and fit him over his head where Armadillomon grabbed on for his dear life. Piddomon gracefully took to the sky.

Daisuke and Iori marveled at the beauty they flew over. The forest twinkled under the sun and the breeze was ever so fresh. The desert to their six was still pretty close, but it was as if a barrier immediately changed the weather from scorching hot to warm and cool.

Daisuke was just happy that he didn't have to go through the forest knowing that Digimon were after him near the big tree that still towered over Piddomon in mid air. "Hey, I ran into a few Digimon here, and they weren't really friendly. In fact they attacked me."

"Really?" Piddomon asked. "Strange. Digimon in this forest are often always friendly especially towards newcomers and humans."

"So humans have been here already?" Daisuke asked. "Cause I swear I thought I fell asleep before I woke up here."

"That same thing happened to me." The young boy said.

"Really? Strange... by the way, I'm Daisuke." He said greeting the shorter boy from across Piddomon's head

"Hida. Iori Hida. Pleased to meet you."

Daisuke raised a brow, not many people in his school were as polite as this little kid. "How exactly did you come here anyways?"

Iori shrugged. "I don't know. This strange person called me and said that I would get some answers if I came back, so I fell asleep to see if that worked."

"Guess it did." Armadillomon said.

"Really? My computer went haywire and I got a strange E-Mail saying that all my dreams would come true..." Daisuke recalled. "But I guess it's stupid to try and think that this isn't a dream."

"Why do you say that?" Iori asked.

"Well for one thing, I'm with you kid, instead of being with Hikari." The goggle head pouted and crossed his arms, sure he was happy to be in the Digital World, but it would have been better to have dreamed about it and have Hikari with him.

"H... Hikari?" Piddomon stammered. "You mean Queen Hikari?"

Daisuke looked at the angel, wondering if he was talking about _his_ Hikari."Queen Hikari? Well she is the queen of _my_ heart, but how do you I'm talking about the right person?"

Piddomon smiled as he climbed up to the sky a little more. "Her name shines hope to every Digimon that resides here. I believe d'Arcmon said that her full name was Hikari Kamiya." Daisuke's silence and baffled expression was enough to show the angel that he was talking about the girl he knew. "She is to be the queen of this universe and bring peace to ever single Digimon."

"So this Hikari is an actual person?" Iori asked. Seeing as how Daisuke was still dumbstruck.

Piddomon nodded. "Yes, she and the other chosen children who we've come to know as the Digidestined saved this planet from an evil Digimon. They gave birth to this planet and named it Harmony."

The sound of Piddomon's voice was again filled with excitement. It was like every time he spoke of the Digidestined, it seemed that he would daze off in a fantasy world. The Digimon was already among the holy angels like Angemon and Angewomon, but still he looked up to the Digidestined much more than he would do to Seraphimon or even Ophanimon.

Daisuke was still trying to swallow the fact that _his_ Hikari was well known in the Digital World. Hell she was already being proclaimed as a queen. He was still in in denial about it all, but with Hikari's personality and kind nature, it could be that Digimon accept her as their queen... maybe.

"We're here." The angel announced. The temple was like something one would see in a history book or in Mexico. However, there was a difference; the blocks that made the temple were made of steel that was overtaken by moss, flowers, and surprisingly small trees that hid it's metallic attributes. Like if the powerful force of the forest consumed the steel and made it it's own.

"Cool."

"Amazing."

Daisuke and Iori stood at the top and looked inside. It didn't go very far, but the symbols on the walls and the way the pedestals that were untouched by the forest left them taking in the beauty of the steel room. A sort of prediction was written below the many symbols but below this inscription a strange, Omega and a strange type of writing rested on the very bottom.

_Courage. Friendship. Love. Knowledge. Sincerity. Reliability. Hope. Light. Kindness. Faith. Darkness.  
These attributes and the power behind them gave form to this universe and helped built compassion but at the same time produced wrath.  
Forces to bring harmony between Digimon of all types and bring forth the downfall of evil whenever it rises.  
When a matrix between Digimon and humans is built using these attributes, the ultimate weapons will be without boundaries to bathe evil in light and darkness.  
With the miracles of either light and darkness, the end will begin and forge a new beginning where acceptance and sympathy can bloom,  
should the faces of evil threaten the way of life and liberties of the Digital Race._

(The Digicode is written here, I will post it up in a link on my page)**  
Ω**

"The eleven attributes that are introduced here are held by the Digidestined. Queen Hikari holds the attribute that is described in her very name – the _Holy Light_." Piddomon explained. "It is said that this passage written here is a prophecy left by one of the Digital Oracles – they were among the first Digimon prototypes but long since perished. Although rumors say that the oracle of light still lives."

"And what are those strange symbols on the bottom?" Iori inquired as he stood closer to examine them.

"In this planet, only the Digimon who survived Apocalymon's destruction know how to read those words. But the symbol below it should be familiar to you humans – It's Omega."

_'Wow'_ Daisuke passed his eyes over the symbols, symbols he knew all to well – the crest of light was the center of his attention. He was still a little skeptical that Hikari Kamiya was the one who wielded the light. _'If Hikari really knows that Digimon are real... why hasn't she told you?.' _The voice in his asked. That voice was like a different person in him that always slapped him mentally when he himself couldn't draw the picture completely – sometimes being a little blunt though.

He strolled down to the pedestal of courage and looked down at it. It had a slide, the exact same size as the blue card he found.

"It's not going to work." A new voice stated

The foursome pivoted to face a feminine Angel-like Digimon. The glare of the light in her background adding to her sudden and unexpected entrance. One question ran through Daisuke's head. _'who's that?'_

* * *

Hmm... strange... it feels like Deja-vu... Any who – Who was the mysterious being that contacted Daisuke so threateningly and who is Piddomon and why did the Digimon in the forest attack Daisuke? What about the strange inscription, what does it mean? What about Hikari, why has she been really distracted so much? Keep reading Digimon: Corruption of Minds to find out.

Well that's it folks, may the light be with you and stay safe. Review if you will. Sorry for any typos or misspelled words, for some reason I can't activate Spellcheck on my crappy laptop.


	4. Where Do You Stand?

Digital Revolutions: Corruption Of Minds  
Chapter: 4

Disclaimer: I feel that I need to put this up because of Digimon Xros Wars... any who, I don't own Digimon, if I did... well Frontier would have spanned another season and so would have Savers.

_**]{Reviews}[**_

**Omega** – Be patient dude, I've had a lot of things to do lately, I haven't even gotten to write for a while. And thanks, I got Daisuke's personality off you. lol

**AeroAngemon** – Thanks, and I guess I can try and add some elements from Megidramon X, after all what you described to me sound like his X form. It's actually a little tougher since I had to readjust to the Wacom tablet once again -sweat drops- it may take me more time also because I am busy.

Well... this is going to be a chapter on Miyako, mostly. I was very busy this past week and didn't get around to do much for the fic, but I will try and post up some art soon. Now, I would like to extend my thanks to the following people for favoring/alerting this to their lists.

A Dream Worth Fighting For

Phoenixflamemarauder

Soul

Veemondude

Dark-Paladin-Duelist

SD28

Thanks a lot. Now, I will not delay anymore, I will leave you with the quote of the day.

_For they know only too well. That the story they will tell conjures up an ageless spell guarded by the sentinel_  
-Judas Priest, Eulogy

_

* * *

Where Do You Stand?_

**[~]{-**_*****_**-}[~]**

"**Card Slash!"** A girl with lilac hair girl exclaimed fiercely. "Speed Activate!"

A winged beast Digimon plunge it's body from the sky towards it's target – a large dark tower.

"Tempest Wing!" Using the last of the three card combo used by the girl with glasses, the Digimon soared right through the dark tower and dismantled it to nothing. Power, and speed modification cards were a good combo, but her trump card and the card she used to subdue Daisuke's Imperialdramon was a rare card indeed – more powerful than rare. It was the Exalted Power that enhanced power, defense and speed to match that of the mega Digimon's power while replacing it's own with it's previous power.

With a smirk she placed her Digivice on the strap of her belt. The device was of a white color and lilac finish that matched her hair. "Good work, Halsemon."

The Digimon gave off a glow and regressed to it's rookie stage. "It was just another walk in the park, Miyako."

She adjusted her glasses and stared out at the land. The way the dark towers clashed with the shine of the steel area. "We still have a long way to go if we want to beat _him_." She hissed bitterly at the thought of mentioning the person who not only insulted her, but the person who was responsible for all the chaos going on.

Her partner rested on her side. "I think we've done enough for today."

She glanced down at her Digimon who was less than half her size, yet still so powerful. He was clearly tired, though he didn't show it, and who wouldn't be after freeing Digimon slaves and demolishing dark towers? She smiled. "Ok, let's head back, I'm going to make your favorite; Rice balls and Sushi."

The bird-like Digimon gleamed a smile at her. "Let's go!"

**[~]{I*********I}[~]**

Miyako Inoue stared at her reflection in her bedroom mirror, her light brown eyes holding bewilderment and her lilac hair wrapped in a pony tail. She was a Digimon Tamer, a tamer with a real Digimon – it was still hard for her to believe that she held her own partner Digimon, let alone venture to a different dimension.

In her normal life, she was a grade 'A' student with a great personality, though she had a short fuse and was a tad on the geeky side. But many would overlook that because she was seen as a beautiful girl. She had never failed at anything she set her mind to – her stubbornness would never let her give up on anything whether it was school-related or something to do with life. She was also a big fan of Jihad, the band that was affiliated with the opening for Digimon and she had followed them all the way through since the start. Hell – her room was practically covered with posters of that band alone. She loved cake, or anything sweet for that matter – she just loved it. She had two sisters and one brother who didn't even live with her anymore, which meant that she had more time to herself and more privacy.

But under her normal lifestyle she hid a secret, a secret that many would envy her for, while other skeptics would fear her for. She was a Digimon Tamer! She partnered with Hawkmon who she had already managed to take into the Champion Level. She used her skills and smarts on the card game to help her partner Digimon with some intense combos on the field and it also helped her manage more skills in the card game. But the reason she practiced on combat skills was because of a person her same age with a vision to take over the Digital World. It sicken her to think that a person could be so arrogant and cruel as to think as a world could be theirs.

But the fight was too much for her to handle alone.

This person had found a way to obscure the light of normal Digivolution and prevented her from evolving her partner to the champion level. However her resourceful nature introduced her to Armor Evolution, a form of evolution that allowed Hawkmon to bypass the Dark Tower's oppressive power.

"What's on your mind?" Poromon asked.

She met the the in-training level Digimon's blue eyes and sighed. "I feel so helpless."

"Why? We did all we could today."

"I know... but to think that he's still out there creating more dark towers and I'm here doing nothing... I just... I can't – I hate it." She pounded her leg, ignoring the sudden pain she inflicted to herself.

Poromon didn't know what to say and returned to Miyako's bed.

She faced the mirror again and sighed. She was normally a very independent person when it came to problems, however, she felt that this was going to require more than one able body.

But who would she ask for help?

She understood the secrecy of having a Digimon partner, and what it might cause if people knew that they were real. She couldn't risk Poromon's health like that.

_'For once... I wish I wasn't alone.'_ Her melancholic wish crossed her mind before she strolled to her bed and disappeared under her many sheets. She was really tired, but her concern over the Digital World had refused to leave her mind until she finally crashed. Despite the many problems she had on her second life, she still had to go to school in the morning.

"Maybe Hikari could help me..." She muttered.

-*****-The Next Day-*****-

Miyako roamed the empty school corridors – she had cut class early to see if she could catch up with Hikari before she left to where ever she would disappear to. She had noted her strange behavior when she saw her in the morning. Hikari was known for her cheerful and kind nature, but she appeared to be absentminded and not her usual cheerful self – and she was sure that it wasn't only her, Daisuke also seemed worried about her in his own way. His rude way of answering only worsen her day even more.

She waited outside Hikari's classroom for a couple of minutes before the bell blared through the school. Immediately people began to rush out the class room, after all it was the last class of the day.

"Hikari!" She waved her hand at Hikari who barely recognized her. She crossed the sea of students at a staggering pace and faced her preoccupied friend. _'Someone's in a hurry.'_

"Hello Miyako." She said hastily. "I'm really busy right now, so I can't go with you to the mall."

Miyako sighed. In reality she could be a shopaholic. But she smiled. "Really? Well I needed to talk to you, but I guess..."

"What about?" Hikari asked briskly.

She sighed. The toiling look on Hikari's body seemed like it couldn't take anymore. "Never mind, you're busy, I'll just ask Daisuke." Ok now where did that come from. As far as both girls knew, Daisuke hadn't taken quite a liking to Miyako ever since that win she pulled from him.

Hikari's stress suddenly disappeared. "Are you sure?" she asked tentatively. "He's a real competitive person and you won your last game." She reminded her.

She laughed nervously. "Yeah, I guess that one kinda slipped. But seriously, if you're busy, I can ask someone else..."

"Thanks a lot for understanding, Miyako. I really need to go, I'll see you tomorrow."

Miyako waved her fingers at her best friend, while she was left in a stupor. Hikari would never leave her like that – or was it a ditch? Who knew.

But now who was she going to ask? If her best friend was busy, she couldn't just pick up any other random person. She had friends, many of them who were really into the Digimon card game who she could ask, the only problem was that they had loose lips and couldn't keep secrets at ALL. The other day her friend, Yoshiko, embarrassed her by saying that she had crush on the pretty boy, Ichiro. It only caused problems between the them.

She shook her head and glanced at her Digivice. Sure it was the real thing, but it looked so much like the toy replicas that were made. She was going to head back to the Digital Universe, she never liked to fight, just argue – but duty called, and Digimon needed her help.

**[~]{-**_*****_**-}[~]**

"Card Slash!"

Again, Miyako found herself in a different part of the Digital Planet she came to know as Harmony. She stood before the steel area where various Digimon continued to advance on her and Halsemon, protecting the final Dark Tower that loomed ominously over the metallic area.

"Sleipmon's Icy Breath!"

Whirling his body around, Halsemon released a cold energy that froze all opposing Digimon.

"Focus on the tower." Miyako ordered. "Destroy it!"

"Frost Tempest Wing!"

Ignoring the crumbling tower in the background, Miyako turned to the frozen Digimon that had with them the Dark Spirals. Items that would seize the mind of a Digimon and make them a slave to whomever held the Dark Digivice. But she could never bring herself to destroy a Digimon, even if one didn't have the Dark Spiral. It was bad enough for that she had to fight – destroying a Digimon was simply out of the question.

She looked at her Sleipmon card. A extremely rare card – Sleipmon a card from the Royal Knights Collection. The Royal Knights were exceedingly pursued by the fans, and because there were only five of each that were printed, it made them much more rare and valuable, having reached the six-hundred dollar minimum bid if one was willing to sell it. She had never revealed the card to anyone because of that simple fact.

Despite having powerful cards at her disposal, she still preferred strategy over power.

Halsemon landed next to Miyako and helped her on his back. Even though Sleipmon was a powerful card, he had never broken his enemies into a million pieces like the card was intended to do so and the effect was beginning to wear off. Both of them were well aware that humans, despite if they were aiding in the fight, weren't welcomed as much.

The fresh winds caressed Miyako's body. It was soothing, the way the cool breezed pierced through her clothes and massaged her body. It was as if she were free from all her cares and all her responsibilities, in a place where she could sing at the top of her lungs and no one was around to tease her. She closed her eyes, this was one of the things she loved about the Digital World, she could be herself and with only Halsemon to listen to her.

"Miyako, I can't see anymore dark towers in this sector." Halsemon announced after several minutes.

"Huh?" Miyako moaned torpidly, half her mind still stuck in limbo. "What do you mean?"

"Open your eyes and look. The dark towers that were here earlier aren't here anymore."

Almost as if it was a chore, she groaned inwardly and opened her eyes to find that Halsemon was right. There was nothing for miles. "How can this be? We were here a few hours ago and there were plenty of dark towers."

"Perhaps someone destroyed them?"

"I doubt that. There aren't any signs of resistance or even a little scrap of a fight going on down here."

Though puzzled, Halsemon continued through the continent.

A feeling came to Miyako, and she didn't like it. It was those you would get when a bad thing was about to happen but there was nothing you could do about it. That is what she felt, but the feeling she got from not fighting managed to ease her down a bit.

She really disliked fighting and at first she was against it. But after she saw all that was going on, she knew she had to do something. She still remembered how Hawkmon helped her through her dilemma. She loved Hawkmon for that. He never tried to pressure her into this but revealed to her more avenues to think about in her life. One of them was pretty simple: doing the right thing was never safe. She had to adapt quickly to the fighting because she was constantly being attacked by Digimon for the simple fact that she was a human.

"Diamond Storm!"

A barrage of projectiles force the bird Digimon to an abrupt stop, barely missing him and Miyako though managing to singe him. Both partner and Digimon glared down at the fox-like Digimon that stood next to a person cloaked with a dark mantle.

Miyako eyed the person the Digimon stood next to. She knew the attackers didn't want a fight, otherwise they would have kept on attacking. No, that attack was just a mere holler.

Halsemon pulled a loop and descend to ground level, Miyako's grip tightening on him. He knew that she didn't like those maneuvers but it was the only way to avoid a attack from behind. As Halsemon landed, Miyako jumped off him and landed to face both Digimon and person, who's identity remained concealed underneath the cloak.

"What was that for?" An indignant Miyako asked.

The mysterious girl gave a small smirk "I knew there was always something different about you, Inoue."

Her eyes widened. She recognized that voice anywhere. "R... Rika?" She watched as the girl slowly removed her hood. It was her. Rika Makino. Her lilac eyes showed her typical dismissive and cold look and her hair dropped down her shoulders freely. Her face was slightly dirty, showing that she had been though some tough times in the Digital World. "You're a... Tamer?"

She gave a light chuckle. "I wonder how many calculations you had to make to come to that conclusion."

To stunned by the presence of her rival, she managed to ignore that. She faced the Digimon that stood besides Rika, meeting her cold blue eyes, Miyako could see easily that the two were partnered. They shared the same cold eyes and that unwavering stand that said 'we're not going to back down.'

"You know her?" Halsemon asked.

"We're... classmates." Miyako lied. In school the two were always being compared and there would be constant debate on who was the best tamer, though neither her or Rika would agree for a match. "What are you doing here?"

"We came here for a challenge, but so far I've found nothing." She said with disappointment but quickly smirked. "Why don't we have a little one-on-one."

She glared Rika who countered with a confident smirk. She should have guessed it, Rika was always a fighter, no one could say anything to her because she would immediately want to start a fight even with the boys. For a girl she was pretty violent but just as strong-willed as she was... and as stubborn. "No."

"Well... I never thought of you as a person who would have a Digimon as a pet. But I guess no one wants to fight someone who is superior to them."

Miyako growled at Rika, all notions of how Rika got to the Digital world were replaced with a bitter resentment. "What makes you think you're better than me? Just because I don't throw punches at everyone who doesn't share the same ideas as me?"

"Just like a coward." Rika retorted calmly.

"Indeed." A gravelly voice came. A dark circle formed on the ground letting out dark flames that darkened and chilled everything around it. Halsemon took a protective stance in front of her partner, as did Renamon, as a shadowy figure emerged from the blasphemous flames. He had dirty long hair with a corroded gold helmet that covered his face. His pale skin made him seem as if he were no longer living and his claws appeared to be gold as well, but rusted with what appeared to be dry blood.

"Who are you, and what do you want?" Halsemon demanded.

The Digimon chuckled at Halsemon. "Be at ease. I am here to offer you both a challenge."

"It's you!" Rika pointed rudely at the fallen angel. "I recognize your voice. You're the one who brought us here, promising us a challenge and instead I got a lesson on surviving on the wild."

"Presumptuous. But you are right. I am the one who called you."

"That still doesn't answer my question." Halsemon interrupted. "What do you want." he asked again, loosing his patience with the demonic Digimon.

Miyako shivered lightly at the mere presence of the Digimon that stood tall over them. She had not seen or heard about this Digimon in the card game or anywhere. For once she was at a loss and it scared her.

She met his helmet that showed her own dark reflection, almost as if it were a mirror to her dark self. She looked away quickly – she didn't know if this Digimon had the ability to hypnotize her nor did she know what cards to use if they were to come to a fight.

"Heh... I am here to offer you both a challenge." He repeated. "A real one."

"Why should we trust you?" Renamon asked. "Last time you didn't deliver on your promise."

"Ahh. But this time I do have a challenge, and it involves two other tamers."

"More?" Rika asked. "Well where are they. Maybe they won't be cowards like Miyako is."

"I admire your will to be better than anyone else Rika, and I hope you can convince your friend to go along with you." he said turning his head towards Miyako who refused to stare at him. "They're at the Shrine of Origins just north of here. You better hurry my dears, it won't be long before they depart."

Like that the fallen angel returned to ground, like a demon descending to fiery depths of hell.

"Should we trust him?" Renamon asked.

Rika frowned. "If he messes with us like he did last time, we'll show _him_ exactly how superior we are."

"You're not seriously planning to **go**, are you?" Miyako asked incredulously. "You don't actually trust that Digimon."

Miyako was faced by Rika, annoyance displayed in her expression. "No, but if you want to stay here and waddle your butt on this dump, then stay. I on the other hand have a fight waiting for me." She and Renamon turned their back on Miyako and walked into the forest.

Though a part of Miyako wanted to just let them go alone, her conscious didn't allow her to do that. "Halsemon... let's go the Shrine of Origins."

"Don't tell me you want to go." Halsemon asked.

She sighed. "As big of a pain in the butt Rika might be; we can't just let her go off alone. Even if she has a Digimon partner. We can't trust that other Digimon, he looked evil."

Halsemon nodded, he to felt that cold vibe. "Very well, Miyako. Let's go, we will get there faster if we go by air."

Again Miyako found herself riding her partner through the skies, but the fallen angel Digimon had robbed the relaxing part of the flight. She wondered who he was or what were his true intentions. Not only that but the identity of the Digimon was also a mystery. Never had she seen a Digimon like that, nor had she gotten a chill from one like she did from him.

"Halsemon, do you think that Digimon is in anyway connected to the disappearance of the dark towers?" Miyako asked.

"Maybe... but why would he do that? He practically defined the term of evil. If anything, I'd swear that he was working for Ryo."

Halsemon had a point. A Digimon like that, who could give off such a malignant vibe, could never be on the side of good. "Maybe..."

x-x

Miyako found herself over the enormous pyramid-like structure. She had been here more than a few times, managing to destroy a few dark towers in the area but was unable to find the one in the desert that neighbored the forest. She sighed in confusion. The sudden disappearance of the dark towers, the sudden new Digimon that appeared before her and Rika, and even Rika herself were on her mind. She thought that by coming to the Digital Universe, she would get more answers, but instead found more questions that she couldn't get the answers to.

She still remembered how she came to the Digital Universe. It was the night her brother moved out and she was feeling sad because of his leave.

It was raining cats and dogs and she felt that she couldn't talk to her sisters because they were equally as melancholic as her. Her parents tried to talk to her and it helped, but still, she missed him – her brother. Sure they would constantly argue, but that is the way she could express her feelings, but in the end, they always made up.

She remembered turning on her computer to chat with her brother who was in a school in Paris. However she didn't find him that night. She remembered falling asleep on her computer chair with the rain pounding violently at her window and her computer screen shining brightly in her dark and depressing room. She remembered waking up in a steel mill where she met a reluctant Hawkmon who helped her to the Shrine of Origins which laid dormant in a forest and where she was given her Digivice.

She knew that there lied the key to end a mysterious syndrome known as Dream Theater an inconsistency with the human mind that enabled a person to travel to the Digital World for as long as they were asleep on earth. An inconsistency that would prove a permanent change of a human genome if not treated.

Or so she was told by the Digimon that protected the pyramid.

"There she is." Miyako whispered as her eyes fixed on a angelic Digimon land on the steps. "Let's move." She ordered.

"Wait. It's not d'Arcmon." Halsemon said. "Look."

Miyako looked down and saw that the angelic Digimon was in fact male, and he brought with him two boys, one of which she could identify very clearly. The goggles and spiky hair was a dead give-a-way.

"D... Daisuke." She muttered inaudibly.

What was going on, first her rival shows up, and now Daisuke, the stubborn kid she beat with ease in the card game was here. She was under the impression that only the most qualified of tamers would eventually get their partner Digimon. _'guess that's not a requirement.'_

"What do we do?" Halsemon asked.

"Let's wait, I know d'Arcmon wouldn't leave the temple alone." Miyako ordered.

It puzzled her to think that Daisuke was there. She may have not been as puzzled by Rika, but that's because she was a high-ranking tamer. Daisuke on the other hand was just above average, better than some, but no where near her or Rika's level.

"Do you know those humans?" Halsemon asked.

"Remember that I told you about a kid who I beat in school and got his Imperialdramon card." Miyako asked. Halsemon nodded. "Well that's him. The one with the spiky hair's name is Daisuke."

"Hmm... Do you think that he was exposed to the DT virus?" Halsemon asked. (DT: Dream Theater)

Miyako shrugged. "Dunno. But if a Digimon like Piddomon brought them to the temple, it must be for a good reason – wait look it's d'Arcmon." She pointed at the angelic Digimon who landed gracefully inside the temple.

"What do we do?" Halsemon asked.

"Let's sneak over, quietly."

Halsemon glided through the wind without making so much as a sound and hid on the corner of the large temple. Halsemon regressed back to Hawkmon and they peeked over the edge to see d'Arcmon standing before the two boys and two Digimon, the sun shining brightly behind d'Arcmon and herself and Hawkmon, giving them the perfect cover.

"It's not going to work." They heard the angelic Digimon establish. "You must be one of the chosen Tamers, otherwise, you will never break the seal."

She saw him, Daisuke, along with a shorter kid who she almost didn't recognize earlier. It was Iori Hida, the boy who lived in her same apartment building as she did, except on a much higher floor. She had seen him going to her mother's store on several occasions and she knew him as the polite boy who always introduced himself like an adult.

"A... are you a Digimon?" Iori asked.

Miyako easily noticed that Iori was still a bit new to Digimon in all the ways. It only made her wonder why he was chosen to come to the Digital World. Because as far as she knew, those who came always ended up with partners.

She saw d'Arcmon studying the two boys, like if they were aliens from a distant planet. She knew d'Arcmon well and she knew that the angelic Digimon was very careful after her bad calls.

"I am. My name is d'Arcmon." She answered calmly and smiled. "I see that you have a blue card... little boy."

Iori nodded and showed her the card. It was the same as the one Miyako awoke with on her first trip to the Digital World. The same card that replaced her Digi-Egg of Love all those months ago. It was exactly the same as hers, and as Ryo's.

"Then you must be one of the chosen Tamers." d'Arcmon concluded. "Tell me, what is your name?"

Iori bowed politely – like always – and answered. "My name is Iori... Hida, Iori."

"I also have a blue card." Daisuke interjected loudly. "Look."

Miyako rolled her eyes, the way the goggle head just flashed the card straight to d'Arcmon's face. As always, she saw him acting before thinking. "Idiot."

d'Arcmon as well as the others turned to face her. Miyako covered her mouth and fell back, exposing herself to the group completely.

Hawkmon shook his head in disappointment. "You wouldn't make a good spy."

She glared at her partner and turned back to the group and smiled nervously. "Hi."

"Miyako. You know eavesdropping on someone's conversation is rude?" d'Arcmon stated as Miyako playfully stuck her tongue at her.

"NO WAY!" Daisuke interrupted once again. "You're a tamer?" he said, his finger directed at her.

"Idiot." She muttered again. "No, I'm just here on vacation."

"Really?"

She rolled her eyes at him. "Idiot."

"Hey! I heard that!" Daisuke said indignantly.

"Children stop." d'Arcmon said calmly coming between the two. "Miyako, what are you doing here?"

"...I almost forgot." she said, her irritated mood leaving her completely. "I ran into another Tamer with a Digivice. I was wondering if you gave it to her."

"I don't recall anyone other than you and Ryo. Why?"

d'Arcmon's answer left Miyako mystified, d'Arcmon was always making sure that no one other than humans with the 'Blue Flag' entered the temple. She was it's protector. But she also ensured that any human wielding the 'Blue Flag' acquired a Digivice also known as a D-Power, yet Rika had a partner and Miyako was certain that she had a Digivice. It was a must for any human claiming to have a Digimon Partner, that she was certain of.

"I came across a school-mate of mine, Rika Makino. Red hair, lilac eyes, and a cold personality. Are you sure you never saw her."

d'Arcmon shook her head in response.

"Wait, Rika's a Tamer too?" Daisuke asked. "Man, they say that girl is the best Tamer in Japan. Even better than you." He said smugly.

"Shut it twerp, you don't even have a Digimon partner." She said, shutting Daisuke up.

"Miyako!" d'Arcmon scolded. "He is in fact a Tamer, and he _will_ be a part of your team if you hope to continue destroying the Dark Towers."

The thought of Daisuke being on her side was frightening, she could just see him trying to outdo her and disobey her plans, but then again... She was being Overwhelmed by the increasingly large number of dark towers that appeared in sectors overnight.

"Now." d'Arcmon said turning to the goggle head boy. "You are indeed a Tamer." d'Arcmon's statement pleased Daisuke – the smirk on his face was proof enough – but it made Miyako want to cringe, like if someone had just ran two forks down a ceramic plate. "But, you will need to find your partner."

"What?" Daisuke said excitedly. "You mean I get to choose one? If that's the case then-"

"No." d'Arcmon cut across him. "Your Digimon partner is out there. You must find him or her and only when you are willing to share a bond, will your Digivice shine."

"What?" A confused Daisuke asked. "I don't get that last part."

"She means; that you have to find your Digimon in order to fight."

Miyako winced. That voice – the voice she dreaded and resented with all her heart. She turned around to face the person who was responsible for the Dark Towers. "Ryo." She hissed bitterly.

The teenager took a step forward. He wore protective armor over his left shoulder made entirely of chromed Digizoid Metal and his cape dragged down it as well. His get up was made in black and gold with matching shades that hid his eyes from sight. On his waist, a rapier hung, a rapier which he used to subdue many weak Digimon.

"What are you doing here?" d'Arcmon demanded.

A smirk formed on the teenager. "Take it easy, I'm just here to see the initiation of the two new Tamers and offer them a opportunity."

"Get lost!" Miyako shouted. "You're just plain evil, and I'm going to make sure that all your Dark Towers come crumbling down."

"Hmph. Like always, you are so arrogant." Ryo said. "But I think that decision is up to them, because last time I checked; they were free to make up their own mind."

Miyako remained quiet. He was right, who was she to tell Iori, or even Daisuke what to do?

"He's right." d'Arcmon stated much to Miyako's surprise. "Boys, you must make a choice. A choice where there is no going back."

Iori and Daisuke stared at each other, slightly confused. "What choice is that?"

"Where do you stand." Ryo answered. "She's asking if you are going to live under the rules of light, or live free and embrace the powers of darkness to make all your dreams come true."

Miyako knew Iori had a father who died in the line of duty. She knew that he was too attached to his memory to turn back on what was right, but she was a little unsure about Daisuke. She noted his competitiveness when they played, she noticed his cold and dismissive attitude after losing. If anyone was a loose cannon, it was Daisuke.

* * *

Well I this seems like a good place to leave off... no? Well I reached my five thousand word limit and it might go up to eight-thousand in the later chapters. I think you guys know where I am heading with this story from here? No? Well keep reading to find out what dwells in the art of mind corruption. By the way, excuse any typos that I might have left here.

Stay pure, stay safe and please review. Peace to you all and may the light rule.


	5. A Queen To Some

Digital Revolutions: Corruption Of Minds  
Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon nor it's characters and so forth. Although I do own the OCs on this story so... ok.

]{Reviews}[

**Omega**- Thanks, bro.

**Aero Angemon**- Yeah, at first I was going to do that, but I thought it would be too cliché, I mean we do know that Rika is a bit of a cold person, but I made her rather neutral, you know, not sticking to any sides and fighting for her own.

**A/N:** Que paso, everyone. Brian here with another update on the Digital Revolutions: Corruption of Minds Saga. Now, I had this saga planned out since the longest, and yet with the recent things I've learned and heard... I decided to improvise. This next quote was said by a friend of mine in Spanish, but since I have a hard time to spell in Spanish, I translated it into English.

_We are born with the freedom to chose light over darkness or vice versa – good and evil. Which have you chosen?_  
–Gonzalo 'G' Gutierrez. (I'm sorry if I misspelled your last name, dude? )

* * *

_A Queen... To Some_

**[~]{I*I}[~]**

"And that's the summary." The captain from DATS, Satsuma, finished explaining. Photos of the missing children were placed up on a plastic board. It was three new ones, one of them in particular, surprised many of the Digidestined.

Taichi, Hikari and everyone else were gathered in the bridge of DATS HQ, with the exception of Mimi and Takeru, but in their place was someone else. Takato Matsuda and Henry Wong, two boys who were a year younger than the rest, were the new addition to the very limited line of Digimon Tamers. The two had been debriefed exceptionally for hours on how they met their Digimon partners. Though Henry was an easy case to close, Takato's story was much more difficult to understand due to the fact that he claimed to have created Guilmon by simply drawing him.

(Basically the way Takato and Henry met their Digimon in the Tamers series but with a twist... ^-^.)

"I see..." Taichi said. "But how can you be sure it was a Digimon's doing?" He questioned, almost as if challenging the resources the agency had.

"I can bet on it." Lalamon said and hovered over to Taichi's head. "They had the same signatures, the same form of data stream, the same everything. We may not have any data on their identities, but all we know is that the signatures came from the Digital Universe."

Taichi turned to Koushiro – Lalamon still resting on his head – and he gave him that stare that asked a lot of questions.

"We are incapable of coming down to a conclusion on the identities of the Digimon with our given data, but we can go to Harmony and attempt to find Rika, Iori, Miyako and Daisuke." The young genius said trying to remain neutral. Koushiro was always the guy who needed facts, and even though he liked to theorized, this situation didn't call for theories, but instead action.

"If we're going to do this, then we are going to need more than one day." Joe announced. "Harmony is a big place, and even with all of us searching, it's going to be difficult to find them."

The rest of the group nodded in agreement. Harmony was indeed a big place, bigger than earth, and even two days wasn't enough time. But time was something that was taken well under by the uncertain leader.

"I think we should just wait until they come back." Agitation filled Taichi's voice, almost as if he had forced himself to say what he did.

The group turned to him with light incredulity. A suggestion that was unexpected, especially from their leader. "What?"

"You heard me... I say we leave them there until they come back."

Sora looked at him, doubt in her eyes. "Tai, what are you saying?" she asked tentatively

He sighed, he wasn't in his best mood today. His day was tough, filled with exams, work, and soccer, he couldn't fit something like a search on a entire planet on his schedule, he couldn't just pretend that he would ace his tests. "Look I know I am going to sound like a jerk for saying this but... I just don't have the time to do this. If I did I would help them in a heartbeat, but I got to study tomorrow and even after for a big test this Monday, I also soccer practice and... well the rest is private."

Realization hit most of the Digidestined almost as hard as Taichi's sudden refusal to look for the missing Tamers. It was strange to think that without Apocalymon they had to worry about their lives and the time they were allowed to take from it.

Yamato was busy getting ready for a local gig so he had to practice. Sora was in the same dilemma as Taichi, she too had work and plans with him, things that couldn't be postponed. Koushiro could only sigh at his misfortune, he already was juggling a busy schedule for tomorrow, for he had volunteer to teach introduction to computers to his fellow peers. Tests and school work basically filled Joe's day – not only attending Saturday school, but Sunday school as well. Takeru and Mimi were out of the picture but most likely unable to help due to the huge timezone difference.

"We can't make it." Sora said with reluctance, speaking for the older Digidestined. "We just can't."

Guilt filled Hikari, Miyako needed her help and she refused to help her because she needed to meet Satsuma only to be informed that Miyako would go awol in the Digital Universe. She also felt a little guilty because she had chosen to ignore Daisuke when she was chatting with Takeru, but when she contacted Takeru, she was already there, on DATS HQ.

"I'm not busy at all." Hikari announced. "I can go look for them."

The older Digidestined looked at her with incredulity, most of all her older brother who instantly scowled at her. "No, it's too dangerous for you to go, even if Harmony is protected."

"Tai, please, Miyako asked for my help yesterday and now she's gone."

This eased him up a bit, but still his look of disapproval remained. Hikari was his little sister and if he didn't allow her to be alone the first time, he wasn't going to allow her to be alone in the Digital World ever again. She was still young and even though their crest protected the planet, it was still very dangerous. The conditions of some areas were brutal and the Digimon lifestyle was similar to that of any animal. That plus the abilities they possessed equaled a certain amount of danger.

"I'll go." Takato stood up excitably. "If Rika was able to go to the Digital World, then we should have no problem going." He said pulling clueless Henry up.

Taichi arched a brow at the boy, sure he was young, but he saw a glint of courage in him, but not enough to trust him with the burden of Hikari's health. "You don't even know what awaits you there." He said calmly.

"Tai's right Takato." Henry said reluctant to the idea. "This could be dangerous."

"I know, but don't you think this would be a good experience for Terriermon?" Takato asked. "Think about it, he's always bunched up in some way." He added.

Henry looked away. Though he hated to admit it, he would like to show his partner that he could have a place where he could roam freely. Even if the Danger level was high. "I guess it would be nice..."

"If you're going, then you can count me in." Yoshino said, looking at the captain, as if asking him if it was ok.

"With a group of four, I think your chances of coming back safely are moderately high." The tall man said. "But I feel that I should go as well."

Shock- it showed on everyone's face. The captain was normally always out of activity, always watching by the sidelines. But he wanted to make Taichi reconsider, they needed as many capable people on this search. He was also confident that one of the Digital Guardians would come back and take his place during his absence. But even if they didn't, he trusted Megumi and Miki to run the place.

Taichi smiled a small smile. He was hoping for this, for someone to take the call when he couldn't. "I guess if all of you are going... You can go, Kari."

Hikari beamed her appreciation at the four people who chose to go with her. She wasn't expecting anyone to go with her due to the danger level. However, she knew her brother was right, even with five people, it was still going to be very difficult to find someone while averting danger at the same time.

"Very well. We will depart tomorrow morning. We will rendezvous at the Kamiya residence since it's closest to all of your homes." He said looking at Takato and Henry. "If those Digivices were handed to you when you met your partners, then they should work as well as their Digivices."

The Digivice that was dubbed 'D-Power' perplexed the Digidestined at first, mainly because they all had the D-3 Module. But Koushiro found that all the ports on his laptop fit the new Digivices and almost worked the same way, although this Digivice had the power to process the Digimon cards from the game to give them special and powerful abilities for a short period of time.

-*****-The Next Day-*****-

"Done." Hikari said wrapping her scarf around her neck. She knew that it was a little silly since the Saturday that greeted them was anything but cold. But in the Digital Universe, she knew that it would get chilly, especially in the area where they were going to be searching first. The Ice area; hundreds of miles covered in nothing but ice, snow, and other dangers. A area where the unprepared didn't get a second chance, and a place those who were proving to be the best as Ice Digimon would go to.

Her pink coat matched her red scarf and her winter hat as well. Her coat was among one of the many gifts she was given by the Digital Guardians for her protection and she knew that Taichi would insist that she'd take them with her. She had her small gym bag with her where she kept her other clothes and other supplies. She hoped that the others would bring something warm because it could get cold at any time or get boiling hot.

"Hikari!" Taichi called. "They're here!"

The young girl of light ran out to greet her fellow travelers that would be joining her in this hunt. She was immediately greeted by Guilmon bursting out of a box that Takato forced over him. She was lightly surprised to see that Takato actually managed to sneak Guilmon under that thing, let alone tug and push him from his place to her apartment.

"Hikarimon." The red dinosaur greeted, adding the 'mon', as he placed his head under her hand.

She followed him and began to pet him. He was like a small child that demanded attention, and she liked that. "Hi Guilmon, are you ready to go?"

"Are you kidding? When I told him, he flipped." Takato said. He wore a long blue winter jacket, but she could see the sweat on his face. "I sure hope that it's not as hot in the Digital World."

Hikari glanced at Henry who wore a more modest jacket with causal pants and Terriermon hanging from his shoulder. "Are you sure you want to go? We don't have to."

Henry nodded and smiled. "I'm just a little nervous, that's all."

"It's going to be alright." Satsuma stepped inside the opened apartment door. "But before we depart, I must ask if you've informed your parents about your upcoming absence?"

The two boys looked at each, uncertainty in their expressions. "Well... you can say we did."

"Aww great, what did you do." Yoshino groaned in annoyance.

"Nothing." Henry calmly answered. "We just told our parents that we were sleeping over at the Kamiya's."

"Yeah, my mom would never let me go on something like this." Takato explained. "Heck she goes mental whenever I'm just a minute passed my curfew."

Hikari giggled while Taichi merely rolled his eyes. "Whatever. If your moms call, I'll make sure to cover for you guys."

"Thanks. But now that we're on the topic of excuses; Hikari, what did you tell your mom?" Takato inquired curiously.

"Our mom knows about our Digimon." Hikari answered. "I told her that I was going to go spend the weekend with Gatomon and she allowed me to go since I told her that Yoshino was coming with me."

"We're wasting time." Satsuma stated impatiently. "Let's go."

And so the group made their way to Taichi's computer, as they entered the his messy room, the gate to the Digital Planet Harmony appeared on the screen.

"Point your Digivices towards the screen." Yoshino instructed the two newbies.

The two boys did as they were told. All at once they were ingested by the small computer screen, leaving Taichi on the doorway. "Good luck and be careful... Kari."

**[~]{-**_*****_**-}[~]**

Immediately Takato felt the unforgiving winds of the Ice Area as they violently threatened to freeze him where he stood. Shivering, he glanced at his partner and how Hikari wrapped her scarf around the Digimon. "You're not cold?" Takato asked, hugging his own shoulders.

She smiled. "Not really, I just figured that Guilmon might be." One of the perks of having clothes given to her by the Digital Guardians was that they would protect her against any type of weather conditions.

"I feel like nurse Suzie stuffed me in the freezer by accident." Terriermon's chattered and shivered, using his partner's hood as a blanket. "Can't we go search on a more pleasant place. Here's a thought; the beach."

"No." The captain established sturdily. He wore a long trench coat that covered his body and his trademark shades and still he didn't appear to fazed by the freezing temperatures, nor did his partner, Kudamon, who rested calmly around his shoulders. "We must search the most treacherous areas first before we proceed to the lesser danger areas."

This was not what Takato had in mind about the Digital World. He thought that it would be like the TV show, where Digimon were always battling, but no, it was almost like earth, and worst of all, he could feel the freezing winds all the way to the bone as they walked the snowy dessert. The same could be said for Henry, but he had come well prepared with thermos clothing underneath his pants and jacket. The Digital World was overwhelmingly similar to parts of earth he knew. In this case; Antarctica.

"Man, it's freezing." Takato complained once again. He had underestimated Taichi's warning about the brutal conditions of the Digital World.

"Shut up cry-baby." A annoyed Terriermon said. "One question: how do we get back?"

"We can use my Digivice." Hikari answered and looked up at the sky. She could see the sun piercing through the storm clouds and the blizzard itself. It was like if the darkness couldn't handle the overwhelming power of the light. "Captain Satsuma, where do we go from here?" She asked him.

"We should continue going north. We should come across a small Digimon town there." He answered studying his map that was given to him by Koushiro.

"A town?" Takato asked. "Great, I think I could use something to eat."

The sun continued to shine and reflect it's glare from the snow, forcing the group to put their shades on, or in Takato's case, his goggles. It was pleasant without the blizzard, the skies were clear but not a single mountain could be seen in all directions, almost as if they were in a flat sheet of ice that covered the entire planet.

"We're getting close." Satsuma announced.

Henry could feel it getting hotter with every step he took, almost as if they were walking into the other type of desert that was always hot and had very little water. That one. "How can you tell?" He pulled his collar to try and get some fresh air in. _'How strange. It got so hot all of a sudden.'_

Satsuma came to an abrupt stop and looked down a very steep slope that lead to the town. In the center was a ginormous furnace that seemed to create sort of a bubble of warmth around the area or a bowl of hot soup.

Henry peeked over the hill towards the busy looking town. "Getting down there is going to be difficult."

"For the normal human." Lalamon said cheekily from inside the Digivice. "It's warm enough to come out, so let me show you how we do things here in the Digital World."

"Lalamon, Realize." The way a Digimon came from her Digivice IC was always a stunning shot, one that was admired by everyone. Yoshino held out her clenched hand to her side and peeked over at the two gawking boys. "Now watch carefully." She said and released her grip and revealed a small aura of energy. "Digisoul. Charge!"

A bright light blinded the two boys, even with their shades/goggles on, while Hikari, Yoshino and Satsuma watched calmly by.

The two boys oped their eyes to the sight of a much larger Digimon with a sunflower for a head.

"What do you think?" The Digimon asked smugly. "Impressive, huh."

They nodded, wondering how the heck Yoshino got her partner to Digivolve or what that strange aura that appeared from her hand was. Their questions were going to hold however, after all they were searching for three missing people, not answers.

Sunflowmon picked up the group, with Yoshino riding behind her head, and basically breezed down the steep slope of dirt. Once on the ground, they turned heads immediately, some were filled with curiosity while others were hopeful. There were countless Digimon roaming the town, though it appeared to be more of a bazaar than a town. Signs of 'For Sale' were posted and many Digimon still carried on their business as if they didn't notice the strange group of humans that entered their village.

A single Pandamon excluded himself from the group, as if he were the town chief. "Are you the Digidestined?" The white and blacked furred Digimon asked.

Hikari stepped forward from the group, a smile signaling that she came as a friend. "Yes, I am." She answered.

Pandamon frowned and leaped back, drawing out his claws from his little hands. "Then show me." He said.

"We are not here for a fight, nor are we here to make trouble." Satsuma stated to the children and the single Pandamon that had gained the attention of those who were to busy to notice them. "We are searching for other humans."

"No humans have ever made it this far." Pandamon spat back, still in his battle pose. "Besides, humans without the consent of the Digital Guardians are not welcomed in this world."

Satsuma was going to try and make himself much more clear but was stopped by Hikari who walked up towards the frigid Pandamon. The Digimon stood there, unsure whether to attack the slender girl that was approaching him, however something underneath her sleeve caught his eye, it was shiny and depicted a very sacred and respected symbol by all Digimon.

Hikari knelt down to the small Ultimate Level Digimon. She showed him the ring that clasped her ring finger softly and expressed the symbol of hope with a precious mineral. Hikari was told by Gennai if any Digimon were to have doubts about her being one of the Digidestined, to merely show them 'that' ring, and he was confident about it.

"You are the... bearer of hope?" The small Digimon asked in wonderment.

Hikari smiled and shook her head. "No... My crest is Light." she said softly

With awe, Pandamon looked at her and immediately took a knew and bowed to her. "I am deeply apologetic for my rudeness, Queen Hikari, I always thought that the Digidestined would never expose themselves to anyone, so I thought you were trying to impersonate them."

"Don't worry about it." She smiled and stood up and waved the group over. "And please, call me Kari."

Astonished, they met her. Both Yoshino and Satsuma knew that she had the crest of light and was to be respected by all Digimon who knew her name or her attribute, but to see her convince a Digimon so quickly by merely giving him a quick glance of her ring was something else. This was their first time here with Hikari, the first time was when they were testing the portal ability of their upgraded Digivice IC when Shibumi experimented with them. Both Takato and Henry were equally as stunned, and what got their heads spinning most was that the words the hostile Digimon used – 'Queen Hikari'

Hikari averted her crimson eyes to the many Digimon that met her gentle gaze, chattering a million words a minute. _'They must have heard it too...'_

"My queen, is there anything I can help you with?" Pandamon asked. "Anything at all?"

"Please, call me Kari." She repeated. "And yes, we're looking for four humans and we were wondering if you had seen them?" She said taking the pictures from Satsuma and showing them to Pandamon.

Forcing his own crimson eyes from the child of light's, he looked at the pictures. A girl with glasses and lavender hair, a boy with a bowl-like haircut and green eyes, another boy with goggles and spiky hair, and finally a girl with cold lilac eyes and reddish hair.

He sighed in disappointment. "I am afraid we haven't seen much of any humans around here, but that's for a good reason."

"And what reason might that be?" Yoshino asked.

Again Pandamon sighed. "This is one of few safe havens from The Digimon Kaiser's rule."

"Kaiser?" Hikari asked.

Pandamon nodded. "I don't know much about him but he's already infiltrated this continent with many of his slaves. We don't know who this Kaiser is, but he has another human who is partnered to a very powerful Digimon known as Cyberdramon doing all his dirty work. No one has seen this Kaiser's face but it is said that his Digimon partner assassinates any and all who ever catch a glimpse of the Kaiser."

"Are you positive this Kaiser is a human?" Yoshino asked.

"I am sure. I was taught about humans by d'Arcmon." He answered.

Satsuma knew this would happen, and he had a pretty good idea of who these two people were. He glanced at Taichi's younger sister, she was hit hardest by the news and he knew why; he had studied her since he first met her, she was kind, gentle, and peaceful by nature. She was afraid of anything that was related to the darkness but she always hid her fear, but he could see it in her, the fear. A perk he obtained from his days as a private investigator.

And it was true.

Hikari felt remorse and fear at the thought that a human could be the cause of another genocide in the Digital Universe. It was like her nightmares, nightmares she hid under her gentle smile and cheerful personality. She still remembered the sacrifices that were made to end Apocalymon's sadistic torment, and now the darkness was back.

"Why don't you fight back?" Takato asked enthusiastically. "Together, you guys can give him a good fight."

Henry glared at Takato, but remained silent.

"I wish it could be as easy, but some of his followers are actually on the Kaiser's side by their own will. He's brainwashed them into believing that he is one of the Digidestined." He said bitterly. "It sickens me that he would say that. The Digidestined would never fall victim to the evils of darkness."

Hikari bit her lower lip. She knew from Taichi's confessions that this wasn't true. She learned that he fell prey to the darkness and was literally taken over by it for a minute during their fight against the Dark Master Puppetmon. She then remembered a person, or a boy to be more accurate. A boy who had gone missing four years ago.

"He also has several powerful Digimon under his command using these objects we've come to know as Dark Spirals." Pandamon added. "Any Digimon caught by these unholy coils will become a slave to his every command. That is why many Digimon have become more hostile towards any human presence."

If this was true, then why didn't she or any of her friends notice this sooner, she had only been here four months ago and everything was peaceful. She chided herself for thinking like that. She knew that darkness could spread fast, it was like a disease that could not be cured. It perplexed her; why people would just roll over to the side of darkness when the light was so warm and cleansing. She wondered how people or Digimon could be so arrogant as to name themselves kings. Even she, who was dubbed as queen, refused to accept that tittle because it didn't seem right to her.

"Excuse me." A Floramon interjected from behind the group. "I know it's rude to listen to others conversations, but I think I saw one of the humans."

Hikari whipped around to face the short Digimon and quickly showed her the pictures. "Which one?"

Floramon placed her plant-finger over the picture with the goggled boy's picture. "I saw him yesterday on the forest of Sincerity, just off the desert... And we attacked him."

"What?" They all exclaimed.

"Don't worry, he managed to get away unharmed. He's a fast human." Floramon said quickly.

Hikari smiled, that did sound like Daisuke. "That's him, was he with anyone else?" Hikari asked.

Floramon shook her head. "No, but if you want to look for him, I suggest you start over there."

"And we will. Thanks a lot for your help."

"Wait!" Pandamon quickly grasped Hikari's hand with his soft and warm paw. "Why don't you stay a while and tell us the story of Omegamon?"

"We have to continue our search." Satsuma answered a little angrily. "We don't have the time right now."

It hurt Hikari to leave the town so discourteously but she didn't have much of a choice, Satsuma was right, they didn't have time and Daisuke's trail was cold enough as it was. She felt relief to hear that Daisuke was fine and well, but she also worried about him due to the harsh environments of the Digital World and the fact that there was a human going around turning Digimon into his slaves. Her mind drifted back to four years ago and the time the boy Ken Ichijouji was pronounced missing in the Digital Universe. _'Could it be him?'_

Sunflowmon was only able to get them in and out of the bowl where the village was and was withdrawn back into the Digivice. The cold snow was quickly draining her of her energy.

"Please don't tell me we're walking." Takato dropped to his knees, the thought of walking through a desert of cold snow was just cruel, not to mention that there didn't appear to be a sunny desert anywhere in sight.

"Couldn't I just Digivolve, Takatomon?" Guilmon asked

Takato regained his energy and pulled out his cards. "Yeah. Good Idea."

"No!" Satsuma scolded, making both tamer and Digimon wince. "We must seek a way of transportation without attracting any attention. If what Pandamon said is true, then we must remain undiscovered by this Digimon Kaiser."

"What do you suggest we use as a means of transportation?" Henry asked.

In the distance a loud sound was heard. It was definitely a train. Satsuma gave a light smirk. "Just in time."

A large train made a abrupt stop in front of them, grinding the brakes as loud as a Flymon, when it shrills it's screeching wings. The large train was brown with multiple carts attached to it's rear and had big claw-like teeth that looked sharper than a guillotine.

"This stop is the Autumn Leaf Fair. Anyone – aww who am I kidding. Either you're getting on or getting off." The large train said lazily.

"Excuse me." Yoshino hollered at the already snoozing train. "Are you by any chance going to the Forest Area?"

The train opened an eye to see the pair of pretty girls that stood before him. Immediately he formed together a smugly grin. "Well... for you ladies I would, and don't let my job fool you, I am a handsome Digimon who knows how to have fun."

She rolled her eyes. "Ugh, a Digimon with an ego the size of it's body, just what we needed." Yoshino said crossing her arms. "Look are you going, or not?"

"Not with that attitude little lady. What about you?" he averted his eyes to the younger girl. "Are you as rude as your friend, human?"

"Can you please take us to the Forest Area?" Hikari asked calmly and kindly. "My name is Hikari, what's yours?"

"I'm Worm, The Trailmon, and you do seem as rude as... your... friend..." The large train trailed off, taking a closer look at the youngest girl. "You wouldn't happen to be _the_ Hikari? Would you?"

Again, the curiosity of both Takato and Henry rose. Why was it that Hikari was so well respected in the Digital World.

"I am, and we need your help." She answered a little antsy. "We're looking for our friends and we're kinda losing time."

Immediately the doors to the passenger carts opened. "Say no more. Hop in."

Hikari beamed at the large Digimon. "Thank you."

They boarded the train and Worm took off at high speeds. However the speeds were undetected inside the somewhat classical passenger cart. Hikari sat next to Guilmon and Yoshino while the others sat across in front of them.

"Kari." Henry spoke softly.

"Yes?"

"I know it's none of my business, but... why do Digimon here look up to you like if you were some sort of... saint?" He said carefully hoping not to offend her.

"Yeah, I've been wondering about that too." Takato added. "Why did Pandamon call you 'Queen Hikari'?"

Immediately she felt uncomfortable, she had not made the effort to practice a speech nor did she really know why she was called 'Queen' but she had an idea that it had something to do with the crest she held as her own. "Well... It's kind of hard to explain..."

"If you don't mind..." Satsuma intervened. "I might be able to explain a little."

She smiled gratefully at him. "Thanks."

"It all began four years ago. Hikari and the others whom you met yesterday, underwent on a treacherous journey that was assumed to be a trial given to them by the Digital Guardians, but instead Hikari along with her brother and friends found themselves fighting for their lives and the lives of all the Digimon that lived on this planet against a foe you may know as Apocalymon. Hikari here was bestowed with a holy artifact in this Universe known as the Crest Of Light and helped defeat the evil."

"Aww, yeah. I know that card." Takato said. "It's a pretty rare card."

Satsuma cleared his throat. "As I was saying. She holds the crest of light and from what I heard about the Digital Guardians, her crest has already deemed her Queen of the Digital Universe."

Takato and Henry stared at Hikari incredulously.

Was that it? Was that the reason so many hailed to her like a goddess? Or was it the artifact known as the crest of light that was the reason she was acclaimed as a queen? She had a nice personality, too nice to be truthful, though in the eyes of Henry, she lacked the abilities to make hard decisions, she herself conducted her actions to Satsuma before making a move.

"So if she's queen, whose the king?" Takato inquired unaware that he had made the young brunet blush.

"That... I don't know." Satsuma admitted, the Digital Guardians never went as far as that. They themselves didn't know the answer to that frequently asked question.

However, Hikari had no dreams of being a queen but if it were ever to come true, there was no doubt in her mind that the person she would see standing next to her as king would be him when the war ended... if it ever came to an end. But she wasn't foolish to think that the would end any time soon, or if it would continue pass her lifetime, but she still saw herself with him, side to side, and since he was gone, her life had not been the same. Takeru Takaishi. Her best friend. Her hope. Her Love. There was no denying it in her mind anymore, she loved him.

However... there was also the concept of rejection. They were best friends and Takeru treasured that a lot and would do anything to protect it.

Rejection it made her cringe back into denial and lose her confidence, regressing her to phase one every time. The claw of denial dragging her deeper into the darkness every time she thought of rejection.

But it was always soothing to dream a melancholic dream. The Digital World: Harmony drew that little bit out of everyone... some would achieve higher than their dreams.

* * *

Well I think this is a good way to leave off in this chapter. Perdon por mis typos (Sorry for any typos...) I hope to continue the series before I get bombarded with work. Yup, work's gotten a little slow, but this is good for me I can update more frequently. Peace, freedom and love to you all. Stay pure and keep dreaming.


	6. Aphotic Encounters

Digital Revolutions: Corruption of Minds  
Chapter: 6

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. If I did, it would still run on TV regularly on FOX KIDS... I don't own FOX... for FOX sake... but I do miss those days... such simplicity

]{Reviews}[

**Omega** – Romance? Well I dunno... just wait for it, mate... Yeah, it's Rei... hey you know what... there's another pairing. Taichi/Rei...

**Aero A.** – Hah... yeah. TK will be making his appearance soon. probably around five more chapters.

Well guys... I got busy, very busy. I've been working double shifts for three days straight now. So I won't be updating weekly anymore, due to the fact that I work long hours and forget to update. But don't worry, I will continue with the story. If you have any questions, E-Mail me at the Universal E-Mail address listen on my profile. Or simply send me a PM. Now I leave you with the quote of the day.

_The Hardest Road To Enlightenment Presents A Constant Test Of Your Resolve._  
-Jon Schaffer

* * *

_Aphotic Encounters_

**Henry awoke to the loud 'wooing'** of Worm as he raced across the sea of gold, or at least it looked like gold as the sun pulsed it's rays ferociously over the smooth sandy slopes of the desert causing a bright glare just as the snow did. Henry yawned lightly, not waking his Digimon partner or the others who rode with him. The only one awake was Satsuma but he seemed to be in a deep thought without interest in the young tamer's actions.

No. Henry's thoughts were on Hikari Kamiya and the mind boggling idea that she was to be proclaimed queen of the Digital Universe. A pint of jealousy filled him, but other than that, he was still skeptical. He also wondered who these Digital Guardians were and what was their purpose in all this. Were they the ones who chose him to be a Tamer? Was his partnership with Terriermon destiny or arranged?

Almost immediately the scenery changed from the purgatorial desert to a heavenly and pleasant horizon of trees for miles.

"WOOOO!" Worm howled loudly, giving all those who were asleep a rude awakening. "NOW ARRIVING AT THE FOREST TERMINAL!"

"Could he be a little louder?" A cranky and drowsy Yoshino, groaned lazily.

"Shake it off, Yoshino." Satsuma said a little aggravated. "We must make up for loss time."

Takato yawned loudly. "Someone woke up on the wrong side of the Trailmon."

"Takato!" Henry scolded in a whispering tone. He saw Takato's eyes widen, almost as if he though he whispered those words instead of saying them aloud.

Satsuma stared at Takato for a second before turning away towards the exit as the Trailmon slowly made it's stop on the terminal.

"Please excuse him." said Kudamon. "He feels responsible for wasting time in leading all of you to the Ice Area."

Henry understood that very well, but it wasn't all a waste of time, he got several answers but got more questions to ask, and he wanted to know everything there was needed to be known about the Digital Universe. Despite the baffling things he had heard so far, he was enthralled with curiosity by the realism and beauty of the sky, and all it's citizens. He was also curious about Hikari. He heard her say that her partner was a Gatomon, but he had yet to see her with her partner.

Worm came to a full stop and opened his doors to allow the fresh aroma of the forest area in. "Welcome to the Forest Terminal, part of the Continent of Hope." The Trailmon said.

They awed at the beauty of the glittering forest as the fresh and cool winds gently breezed around them. This was more like it this was what Henry had in mind for his partner, a place so gentle. A place where the Digimon could be himself without worrying about anything else.

"Thanks a lot Worm." Said Hikari with a bright smile. "Will you be heading back to the Ice Area?"

"Nah, I think I'll wait for you guys here, after all, it's not every day a Trailmon gets to show the Queen around."

Henry averted his gaze to the flushed girl. His mind still trying to put that whole queen concept together.

They continued down the road, their hike down the terminal was a pleasant one. At every turn, there was always a treat to the eye. The very thing that the Digidestined had fought for. But still Henry's mind was on other things. He previously heard Pandamon mention _Omegamon_, not only one of the Royal Knights, but their assumed leader in the card game, and the most powerful Digimon to exist. As he walked he continuously would glance at her, trying to find something maverick about her, but she seemed like an ordinary girl.

After a hour of walking the group found themselves at a lake, slightly worn out from the search. The roses and beautiful flowers that surrounded the lake were like something taken from a garden and placed there for a romantic scenery, but then again... the entire forest was like a garden.

"We'll rest here for a few minutes." Satsuma announced. "Stock up on water if you must." He took a seat on the grass next to the lake and paved the way for Kudamon to clench his thirst.

Henry watched as the others settled down, his Digimon partner was already playing with Guilmon, Takato, and Lalamon who was brought out from her Digivice in the Trailmon. He smiled, he felt that he didn't have to worry about his partner for once, unlike on earth, where he was forced to hide his partner from people.

"So, Hikari." He heard Yoshino ask. "Why isn't Gatomon with you?"

"She was in the Village of Beginnings, I really didn't get a chance to tell her we were coming until we left, but I did receive an E-mail from Tai – she's going to meet us over by AncientKazemon's resting place and..." Hikari trailed off as she stared at Henry who stood over the two, with a hesitant look on him. "Yes?"

"Hikari..." He said tentatively. "I was wondering something."

"What about?" Hikari asked, somehow knowing that he was going to ask more on the topic she tried to leave untouched.

He sat down next to her and Yoshino and sort of sighed. "Well... I am not normally this forward – but it's killing me to know... What is it that you know about Omegamon?"

Hikari smiled, but he could see a little hurt in her eyes and even her tone. "Well... It started with Apocalymon... he was a Digimon... an immortal, and in a lot of pain... and the only way he was able to calm his pain was through murder." She lightly winced at the mention of the word. "... And he wouldn't stop... he managed to destroy almost every Digimon that lived on this planet. But then a ancient Digimon came to us and gave us the power to DNA Digivolve WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon to Omegamon X... and he finally put Apocalymon to rest... You met Matt already, he has MetalGarurumon as his partner and my brother has WarGreymon..."

Henry noted that she didn't like to talk about Apocalymon, but he knew that Takato was wondering the same thing. He noticed him stop playing with Guilmon and decided to tune in on the conversation. But the fact the Hikari's brother and Yamato could take their Digimon all the way to the mega level was very impressive in the eyes of a tamer, especially one who couldn't control his at the Champion Level. But another question rose...

"... I don't really understand what that has to do with you being a queen."

"It's simple." A new and dark voice lingered over them. "She is queen because the one who wields the _crest of darkness_ forced her to surrender a portion of her light to the Digital Guardians so that they may reach the Burst Mode when they were fighting Damiemon and his brigade. The Digital Guardians took it upon themselves to make sure every Digimon in this planet knew her name..."

The group scanned the beautiful rest stop, trying to locate the source of the voice frantically. "Who's there?" Yoshino asked.

"...Isn't that right... Queen Hikari." The voice continued. "She is very powerful, maybe enough to one day kill me."

"Show yourself." Satsuma ordered calmly.

A figure stepped out of a branch from one of many trees. He wore a brown fleece around his entire body, covering his exterior. But the distorted voice was recognized by Hikari, it was the same as when they defeated Apocalymon.

"It's... you." Hikari gazed at the figure loom over them so menacingly.

Henry watched the figure jump from the top of the tree line to the ground so easily and shadowy. He felt a cold feeling come before him, a cold feeling that threatened to overwhelm his soul if he let his guard down.

The fleece covered the person very well. His eyes, nor his face were visible under the shadow of his hood. However Hikari could see the his pale hands and his pale porcelain chin, unlike the last time where she was only able to see him as a source of energy.

"It's good to see you again, queen." He said giving a polite bow. "You. Henry." He said averting his head towards the dark blue haired boy and then his goggled friend. "Don't ask too many questions. You will regret finding the answers to them." He said coldly. "You shouldn't even be here."

"What?" Takato asked, obviously thinking otherwise. "Why not?"

Henry saw a small smirk form on him. "Because... you'll be begging for an 'out' when the blood begins to flow, but once you've taken that first step, there is no going back."

"What do you mean?" Henry asked. "Who are you?"

"I..." He smirked. "...I am what Hikari fears the most. I am the wielder of the crest of darkness." Suddenly he pulled out a sharp blade and darted it towards Henry.

Henry watched as the blade just whiz pass his ear and miss him by a small centimeter, instead of feeling anything, he heard a shrilling cry from behind him. He whipped around to see that a smaller than average Dokugumon was nearing him from the back quietly, just before the Digimon disappeared into bits of data. He turned back to the cold person, clearly showing the fear he had chosen to hide from him.

"Back off if you know what's good for you." Terriermon said standing protectively in front of his partner.

"Hikari already made her choice." He said, choosing to ignore the small Digimon's threats. "A path of death is all that awaits us, Digidestined. Because Damiemon's war will never end and the age of the twilight has yet to reach a climax. You can still turn back and go to your world without claiming place in this war. Don't throw your lives away by fighting a war that is not yours to fight."

Henry was still in reverence to the sudden assassination of the champion Digimon. Never had he seen someone take out a Digimon so effortlessly.

"The next step is up to you." He finished and faced Hikari. "Hikari... if I could ever feel any remorse... I would feel it for you."

"Why?" She asked a little provocatively. "Why would you care about me."

"Because... you and I are like brother and sister, held together by the same life – have you forgotten that already as well?" He asked. Hikari fell silent He paced next to her caring less about the tense Digimon that threatened to attack him, he drew close to her face and whispered. "I've seen your nightmares, and they will never subside unless you conquer your own fears and the steadily growing darkness in your heart, only then will you be able to reclaim your light when the time comes and become queen. Either that or the 'pivot' suffers"

"But... I don't want to be queen."

"I know. I can see the abdication from queen in your eyes. But if you are to live to see the end of this war, you will have to take your place as queen, because power must always find a place to rest and what better place of it to rest then on the light herself." He turned around and faced upward to the sky. "Hmph... looks like you're going to have company... I will see you later... queen." he said before vanishing into the shadows.

"Wait!" she exclaimed, but to no avail.

Satsuma just glared at the empty space where the person stood. He knew this person very well and this person was always revolting against DATS and the Digital Guardians when it came to recruiting new members for DATS. Although his actions did make him question his tactics on gathering new recruits – either join DATS or have your Digimon sent back to the Digital Universe. Not exactly a kind offer. It was like asking a person if they wanted to either have their hand or leg cut off. He turned to Yoshino who simply nodded. She too knew the identity of this person, in fact the two of them were pretty good friends.

The Digidestined of Darkness – Royce 'Roy' Belanger.

"Desolation Claw!" a loud growl trembled through the trees followed by a crash of some sort forcing the group to seek shelter within their own arms from the dust that formed around them.

The group looked down at the Angelic figure on the small crater, he had two wings and was glued to the dirt, above the beaten angel was a very dangerous beast-looking Digimon. Snarling, the dragon thwarted it's body towards the beaten Digimon, his claws ready to rip him to shreds.

The group was to stunned to react, as the Digimon drew closer to the Digimon.

"Fox Tail Inferno!" A set of blazing flames came between the beast and the angel.

Whipping their bodies around, the group saw a yellow fox with nine tails. It stood beautifully over the shallow lake, yet dangerously threateningly to anyone who would dare approach it.

Again, the group was stunned, they were caught in the middle of a battle, hazardously close to any wondering attacks from either creature. However, Takato and Henry acknowledged who the Fox Digimon was, the uncanny cold blue eyes from the Fox were unmistakeable, nor were her intimidating glares.

The dragon-looking Digimon snarled louder and glared at the fox Digimon before catching the group of humans under his sights. The fox Digimon also managed to avert her eyes at the group, her cold glare sending chills down anyone's spine.

A girl with reddish hair and lilac eyes emerged from the back of her Digimon partner, wearing a similar fleece as Roy. But she seemed more agitated than surprised to see more than one human in the Digital World.

"You again!" She groaned in annoyance. "You had to follow me here, didn't you."

Satsuma turned to both Takato and Henry, both fired up to start a argument.

"Follow you?" Takato asked. "We came here to rescue you."

Rika scoffed at him and smirked. "Yeah, and you're doing a real good job at it. Please don't make me laugh."

"So." Another voice came. "You brought friends... this is good, this is really good." The four winged Digimon landed on the ground, completely forcing himself to ignore the dying Piddomon. Behind the scary looking Digimon appeared another person with spiky light-brown hair and a pair of blue eyes that showed nothing but apathy for the beaten angel.

"Akiyama, Ryo?" Satsuma asked.

Narrowing his eyes, he wondered how it was the a man whom he had never seen before knew his name.

"Hikari?" Rika asked a little incredulously. "Is that you?"

Hikari's crimson eyes met Rika's cold lilac ones. "Rika... it's good to see that you're all right."

"What are you doing here? Don't tell me that you're a Tamer."

"Tamer?" Hikari asked suddenly remembering that is how Henry and Takato dubbed those who had Digimon partners.

"You're Hikari..." Ryo said glaring at her with a sudden resentment. "Damn! We will end this fight later, Makino. Come on Cyberdramon, we have to go."

With much difficulty, the humanoid-dragon forced himself to turn around and fly away. The dragon was never one to skip out on a fight and yet he managed to leave this one with difficulty, a very hard decision. _Hard_.

The group rushed to aid the physically vitiated Piddomon. Rika just watched wondering if all the people that were alongside the two pests that bothered her for so long, were partners. She saw the rare Kudamon around the taller man's shoulder and a Lalamon alongside the girl with the pinkish attributes. She knew that Terriermon and Guilmon were both partnered to the goggle head and the pansy who didn't like to fight.

"What do we do?" Kyubimon asked.

"Let's stay, I'm curious to see if any of them are interested in a fight." Rika answered.

"What about the others?"

"I could care less about them." The duo watched the group try and help the angel to his feet.

He was beaten beyond words, not Henry, Takato, Yoshino, or Even Satsuma, had seen a Digimon this pummeled. However Hikari had seen this type of abuse before, when the Dark Masters and Apocalymon emerged into the world. It made her wonder if a similar darkness was emerging once again. This time in the form of a human child. Ryo Akiyama

"Queen... Hikari..." The angel Digimon whispered feebly. "... It's an honor... to see you..."

A melancholic smile formed over her. "Don't talk, you need to save your strength."

Piddomon coughed weakly and tried to grasp Hikari's hand, but to no avail. Instead Hikari took his hand and a small aura of light began to burn brightly and brighter by the second. "You hold with you…. the key to show those... corrupted by the darkness... the way of the... light."

The group, and even Rika and Kyubimon gazed at the aura, enthralled by it's pure and beautifully displaying energy. It was a little similar to Yoshino's Digisoul, but in a lighter pink.

"Please, don't talk." Hikari pleaded. Ignoring the aura that spewed from her hand. "We can still help you."

Piddomon shook his head weakly and chuckled. "No... I believe my time is done... for now... It's been an honor serving... you...the light" he uttered. His hand lost grip over Hikari, but still he managed to smile before his body disintegrated into bits of data and carried away by the winds of the forest.

Hikari grimaced, tears forming on her eyes. She never thought that she would see this again, not after Apocalymon's defeat. But yet somehow, it happened. It was like Wizardmon, there was nothing that she could do to stop his inevitable death.

Henry stared at the young girl on the verge of tears, he too felt awful for allowing a Digimon to perish, but still his mind lingered on the light that radiated from her.

"He's gone..." Takato whispered. He was baffled, he knew that Digimon would fight in the Digital World, but never to the death. He had again underestimated Taichi's statement on how brutal this place was.

Yoshino placed her hand gently on Hikari's shoulder. "It's okay..." She tried to comfort her but she could sense that the tears were already cascading down her face. Roy had told her the atrocious stories about their triumph over the Dark Masters and Apocalymon. She couldn't begin to imagine what Hikari was feeling. She thought she had it hard for training with Roy but she had seen that it could have been much, much worst.

Shock; it was the atmosphere ... at least it seemed so to the Captain. Satsuma. He was never one to display emotions like that, he was usually monotone and blunt with orders. He felt bad for Piddomon, he really did, but as leader of this expedition group he had to show no weakness – last time he did, they left behind a very important man behind. He was not going to allow the same thing to occur twice.

"Are you done?" Asked Rika, impatience getting the best of her. "Are we going to fight, or are you going to sit around and mope?"

Henry glared at her. He was growing tiresome of her attitude. "Just leave, I think Tai was right. We should just let _you_ find _your_ way back home."

"No." Hikari muttered sadly. "We're going to take her back with us...Right Captain?"

The tall man nodded. "Yes. It is far to dangerous for you two to be here alone."

A moment of reason came withing Rika's head. She had been there for more than one day, and she wasn't finding any tough challenge, with only Ryo to show her a good fight. She knew how to get back to the Digital Universe, but getting back to earth was a different story. They never explained that to her, nor did she really have any intentions of going back to a life that involved her shallow mother and a boring routine of school where people were herded like sheep. Still a part of her made her miss her mother, her grandmother, and her home.

"He's right." The group whipped their heads around to see d'Arcmon, the angelic Digimon who was side-by-side the Digidestined during the battle with Apocalymon. "I was a fool to think that darkness could never come over another one of the Digidestined. Piddomon was a good Digimon but as time will have it, he will return."

Hikari smiled a weak smile. She was relieved to hear that.

"Who... are you?" Takato asked, slightly left in awe due to her humanistic appearance. Not to mention the beauty the Digimon radiated.

"I am d'Arcmon. Guardian of this area and the Temple of Origins." She bowed politely. "I believe that you are here looking for Daisuke, Miyako, and Iori."

"Yes." Satsuma answered. "Do you know where they are?"

d'Arcmon smiled a small smile. "Miyako is a very talented girl, and goodhearted, at that – She, Daisuke, and Iori have decided to dig deeper into this truth. They've decided to take their destiny into their own hands."

"The wimps decided to leave." The unruly Rika cleared up bluntly. "Piddomon fought Cyberdramon to try and buy them some time to get away. I joined the fray after Piddomon got his butt handed to him."

"Why didn't you help him?" Yoshino asked, steaming in rage, though keeping a cool tone. "If you did you did, he would have made it."

Rika remained quiet and simply stared at her partner. Though she had not gotten a challenge, she got to see her partner show a side that she had never seen before. She also saw a side to her that she thought she had buried underneath her heart, never to see the light of day. This only made her feel a little guilt towards allowing Piddomon to fight alone.

"There is nothing we can do for him except wait until he is reconfigured." d'Arcmon said. "I imply that you return to your world and allow these children to find their partners and let them choose for-"

"No." Satsuma interjected strongly and frowning deeply. "We must not allow them to continue exposing themselves to unnecessary danger."

"I believe that choice isn't yours to make." d'Arcmon countered, returning the man's firm voice with her own. "It is their choice and I believe that neither you or the Digital Guardians have a right to say otherwise and take away their freedom."

Satsuma just glared at d'Arcmon and vice versa. He understood the topic of freedom pretty well, but the safety of the children supersede their liberties. He had to, for he had parents depending on him to return them safely.

"Queen Hikari. You agree with me, don't you?" d'Arcmon asked, still glaring at the tall captain.

Hikari remained quiet, she never liked to be put in the middle and speak her mind. She never liked upsetting others because she felt differently on a idea or situation. Although this made he wonder if the Digital Guardians ever had this discussion when she was brought to the Digital World or her brother and her friends. Could she really have gone home and not seen everything she had and taking that first step? She didn't know, but she didn't regret making the decision she made. She knew that Taichi didn't either.

"Look, let's just look for them and if they don't want to come, we'll just leave'em." Rika spoke unexpectedly. "Let's just get out of here."

"Not without me you're not." A white feline gracefully back-flipped from a tree behind Rika and landed before her and Renamon. "So you're the one who went missing."

"Gatomon!" Hikari took her partner into her hands and held her tight. It had been a while since the two had a hug that deep.

"What's this about?" She asked.

"I missed you, that's all."

Gatomon did not hesitate to return her embrace, but wondered why her partner had missed her, they had been out of touch for much longer.

Rika and Renamon watched Hikari grip the small Digimon so kindly. It was something the two did not share nor did they think someone other than Takato and Henry acted like that. But a hint of jealousy arose in her gut. She knew about Gatomon pretty well from the card game and despite her small size, the Digimon was a powerful one, but worst of all, she was in the champion level and seemed to have the ability to retain it.

"We go to go look for them." Yoshino spoke up. "Even if it is their own decision, we must ensure their safety and at the very least make sure they don't get hurt, right?"

Satsuma broke away from d'Arcmon's glare and took a deep breath. He was clearly outnumbered and his authority meant nothing in the Digital Universe, especially since Hikari was with him. "Very well, we will do as d'Arcmon says. We will find them, but if the decide to stay, we will accompany them."

d'Arcmon smiled, she had the man beat. But she was worried about the Digital Guardians. She had not heard from them since the barrier went up, although she did hear from Craniummon occasionally, but this was the first time Roy ever made his presence known. It made her wonder what the Digital Guardians had in store for the Tamers and what obstacles would they come to face. It had been a while since she had seen such atrocities too, not since Apocalymon, and she feared that something like it would rise again, and like before, the Digital Guardians would have no control over the outcome.

x-x

His cold violet eyes loomed over his kingdom to be, he stood on the tallest peak of the tallest mountain of planet Harmony. The power and influence he had already acquired was enough to wage war on the Digimon who refused to obey him and the Tamer who was intruding and hindering his plans to claim this planet as his own. He grimaced in rage at the thought of the girl with the Halsemon for a partner. He hated her so much, but he couldn't have the dark green insectoid Digimon who stood vigilantly next to him get rid of her permanently because that would draw the attention of the Digidestined.

And that would be absolutely problematic.

"Are you thinking about the girl again?" The assassin Digimon inquired.

This person smirked and lightly chuckled. "She's like a parasite... it bothers one but can't kill anyone. You should know that better than anyone... Stingmon."

"Yes." His partner answered monotonously. "I understand... Ken."

Ken Ichijouji – the feared Digimon Kaiser who no Digimon – except a few – had yet to see, the ruthless elitist behind the curtain of darkness and his army of Digimon . But he was known to others as the missing boy who was abducted from his home and robbed of his childhood by the evils of both Digimon and humans. His clothes were unlike Ryo's, he was covered with a vest of armor and a very painful whip.

(A/N: Very much the same as in 02 except with a little armor.)

A humanoid-dragon came into view from the desert, shooting towards them at blinding speeds.

Ken smirked. "Good... Ryo is back."

Ryo and Cyberdramon were also two of the few who had seen the face of the Digimon Kaiser. They came to an abrupt stop and Ryo joined him, a hateful grimace showing. "Ken, we have a problem."

The Kaiser responded with his usual silence and cold glare.

"That girl – Hikari – one of the Digidestined – she's here." He stammered in rage. "Her and several other Tamers have also come."

His eyes narrowed even more. This was exactly what he was trying to avoid and Ryo blew it for him. But he couldn't do anything, Ryo was his best subject , or as he referenced to him as – partner.

However, as problematic as this could be, he had a contingency plan to sort this out. One that involved the reunion of the crests and it's wielders that protected the planet. A risky move but worth it if he could abolish the crests of hope, light, faith or darkness. And to him the crest of light seemed most vulnerable and his target, because he knew that if he destroyed the balance between light and darkness and erase them from the Digital Universe, then he could establish his own set of laws.

Thus, rendering the light and the darkness as a forgotten memory. Like he was in the minds of the Digidestined... until now... but even he knew that this plan came with a price... a steep one that even he feared.

* * *

Ken and Ryo have risen to show their own identities as the Kaiser and the Second in command of this part of the saga. What's next? Well you are going to have to keep reading to find out my dear friends. Live bravely and free you guys, it's the way we were intended to live. Review and/or E-Mail me for any suggestions.


	7. Doing What's Right

Digital Revolutions: Corruption of Minds  
Chapter: 7

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon...

]{Reviews}[

**Omega** – hah! You think that's the only thing that there is to discover? Think again, there are many more secrets. And that should be Your _first__ fic_, not mine.

**Aero** – I revisited the chapter and I think the word that shows up as incorrect is Aphotic, I've searched it on Dictionary dot com and it means darkness in the same way it's spelled... but maybe I did do something wrong. I'll see if I can fix that later...

A/N: Well here we are again friends. Chapter seven for the second saga. You guys think this story is heading one way -omega- but then it throws a curve ball at you in the next swing. Well guess what, that's me, I never go straight... errr...disregard that last comment. I will always surprise you... yeah that sounds better... I think ... any who. Any who Episode 27 for Digimon Xros Wars has been posted up at Youtube and I must say that it was a funny one... Can't wait for the next one.

**Also** if you are looking to learn some Japanese – your planning a trip, or just for fun – search Mango Languages on Google, it should be the first one... thats for the folks who didn't know.

_Normality is stupid, it's just another label that divides us into groups, there should only be one, and that's human._  
-Leslie 'Liz' – US Militia

* * *

_Doing What's Right_

**A teenager stood guard** over the only exit of the temple with his partner Digimon behind him, snarling at the opposing Digimon rabidly. Across from him was Miyako, Iori, Daisuke, Hawkmon, Piddomon, and d'Arcmon, standing guard and at the edge of their nerves because of the humanoid-dragon's unpredictability. Miyako wasn't afraid of the teenager that stood before her or his partner Digimon, but she could sense tension build inside the spiky goggle head.

And he wasn't one to be pushed around.

"Well?" Ryo asked, posing a sign of impatience. "Have you decided? Cyberdramon is getting impatient."

Daisuke gripped his small device. It was gray and with a simple screen. It was his Digivice without the shine of a Tamer. He had received it after placing his blue card into the cartridge of courage where he was intending to place it in the first place, to receive an empty and hollow device. The same with Iori who received his the same way by inserting his blue card on the pedestal of knowledge. However Daisuke could only wonder how to fight off the ultimate level Digimon.

"I want to rip them to shreds!" Cyberdramon bellowed rabidly.

Ryo smirked. "You heard him. I won't stop him if you don't make up your mind. So I'll ask again... will you side with the darkness and make your dreams come true or live under the rule of a pathetic energy source."

Piddomon stepped forward indignantly. "How dare you speak blasphemous untruths about the light! Let alone threaten these children with death if they choose to follow the light. I will show you the potential of the holy light! Heaven's Spear!" He said flinging his rod at Cyberdramon who was caught off guard by the champion level Digimon's offense.

Piddomon forced Cyberdramon out of the temple and out over the forest area, leaving Ryo to fend for himself with the three Digimon that stood before him.

"You better move!" Miyako threatened. "Otherwise I'll be forced to hurt you, even though you deserve it."

Ryo chuckled and smirked. "Cute. But you wouldn't hurt me, you don't even like to fight." he said leaving the girl muttering several curses.

"She might not, but I do." a new voice came behind Ryo.

Before Ryo could turn around to meet the new person who stood behind him, he was tugged and tossed outside by a fox-like Digimon. Dropping ever so quickly towards the forest, he was still caught by Cyberdramon. He turned to face another human with a partner next to her. His eyes were quickly averted as his own partner evaded a ferocious attack from the enraged angel Digimon.

Daisuke's eyes widened as the cold girl he sat next to in class was slowly painted on his view.

"Perfect timing." Miyako said gratefully as she tried to approach her rival.

"So. These are the new tamers." She said ignoring Miyako's appreciation completely. However her eyes stopped at the goggle head and she could only smirk. "I guess any loser can be a tamer." She chuckled as Daisuke tossed her a death glare.

"Who are you?" d'Arcmon asked.

"That's Rika Makino. She's the tamer I asked you about." Miyako answered knowing that Rika wouldn't.

Glancing at the girl with the cloak for a few seconds she determined that she was on their side. "I need to help Piddomon, would you help me?" She asked Rika. "You're a tamer, so you must be as talented as Miyako."

"Hah." She scoffed. "You can go help Piddomon, and if both of you mess it up, then I know that Cyberdramon will be a worthwhile fight."

Miyako and Daisuke both growled at the arrogant girl, but not d'Arcmon. "Fair enough. Just make sure that Iori and Daisuke make it out of here if I should fail." She said leaving the girl and even her Digimon slightly surprised. "Miyako, I ask you to escort them out of here as soon as I leave."

Swallowing her pride, Miyako agreed, knowing that even though they had the numbers, Cyberdramon was still very powerful – powerful enough to overtake and destroy them all. Alone she barely managed her own escapes. "Ok... Just be careful."

d'Arcmon smiled and dashed out of the temple to aid Piddomon who was quickly being overtaken. Leaving Miyako with Daisuke, Iori and Rika.

"Well, aren't you going to run?" Rika asked, her arm leading her out of the temple.

Though reluctant, because Rika was sometimes unpredictable and had a duplicitous way of getting what she wanted, she nodded with hesitation. "What are you going to do?"

Rika smirked. "I think I found my challenge." She said and turned around to the fighting Cyberdramon who easily handled both Piddomon and d'Arcmon's assaults. "We'll have our time, Inoue." She said and walked out of the temple.

Miyako gave a small sigh. "Come on, we gotta go."

"And miss this epic fight? You're crazy." He said gazing at the fighting Digimon, almost as if he were watching a soccer match between his favorite teams..

"Dai, this isn't a game, in this fight there are never any winners just survivors." Miyako scolded. "You don't get any second chances here, if something happens to you here you... you just don't get any second chances."

Iori stared at her, he could see that she was serious about what she was saying. "I think it is a good idea if we do what she says. She knows more about this than both of us."

Daisuke groaned inwardly. "Fine, but only because I need to look for my partner, I'm not going with her because she _knows_ more about Digimon than I do."

Both of them glared at each other for a brief second before Miyako turned around and led them to safety. They left, leaving d'Arcmon, Piddomon and the narcissistic tamer to face the powerful and deadly Cyberdramon.

x–––––––––––– x

That was a day ago. And now they roamed the blazing desert knowing that it was a difficult place to be spotted by Cyberdramon or any other Digimon due to the extreme heat and the glare the sands produced thanks to the relentless sun. Miyako had and always arrived to the Digital World prepared, which is where the bag she carried on her back came in handy with water and several snacks that kept them going all the way to the oasis that Iori had come across in the day before.

However, Miyako was concerned, she had never been away from home for so long.

"Are you worried that your parents might find out about me?" Hawkmon asked.

Miyako shook her head. "My parents would freak out, but I know they'll come to accept you... No I am worried about my parents, they might lose it knowing that I'm missing." Her mind drifted back to the day her brother left, he was gone and now she had gone awol. She wanted to return, really she did, but she didn't have the heart to leave Iori in the hands of the impulsive and irresponsible Daisuke.

"Excuse me." Iori said interrupting Miyako's thoughts. "I was wondering about what d'Arcmon said."

"Oh." Miyako lowered her head and faced her partner pondering about the thing d'Arcmon said to her, and now Iori and Daisuke.

Sure she was glad that she met a partner who she could trust with her life that wasn't her mother or any of her siblings, but someone out of her family with a different perspective. On the other hand she had to witness the horrors of tyranny and constant fighting – everything seemed okay on the surface of the Digital Planet she walked on, but below that calm surface, a vicious battle was well underway and she was being quickly overwhelmed in a place where there were never really any winners, only survivors. Like war.

Her head jolted back a little. Was it really a war, had it gone that far?

She looked back at Iori, realizing that she had not answered the curious boy yet. "Well... What d'Arcmon was trying to say was that... well you know how there are things we can choose to do but can't be undone?" She asked.

Iori nodded. "Yes, but what makes it impossible to alter or go back on our decision?"

"Well... from what I heard from d'Arcmon... once a bond between a Digimon and a human is made... it can never be erased."

"And what's so bad about that." Daisuke asked, overjoyed to hear that statement. "A bond with a Digimon forever sounds good."

Miyako smiled at Daisuke, sure he was a bit oblivious to what was really going on, but she could see that he meant well. She turned to her own partner and took his feathery arm. "It is... we help them evolve, they help us learn more about ourselves... we depend on each other to live." She said and her last words were literal. She heard from d'Arcmon that the Digimon who were bonded to a human would depend on them to live, especially once exposed to earth.

"Really?" Armadillomon said, spooking them a little. "That sounds like it could be really fun."

"Armadillomon?" Iori asked staring at the Digimon. "You followed us?"

The Digimon nodded. "Yup, I learned so much by just hanging out with you guys, so I think I'll stick around."

"You're not afraid that you're putting yourself in danger just by talking to us?" Miyako questioned, she was a little suspicious of the Digimon being a spy.

"Nope. I think I'm safer with you guys – Iori, wouldn't you say so?"

Safety always stared with numbers, and he knew that Ryo got a good look at Armadillomon, so leaving him alone to fend for himself was not an option for Iori. Splitting up was something Iori never agreed with. "I think he's right, he can lend us a hand traveling this desert. Right?"

"Right."

Miyako eyed the rookie Digimon, she had yet to meet a Digimon who wasn't hostile towards human presence. _'Better keep an eye on him.'_

"Hey, Miya." Daisuke said poking her shoulder repeatedly.

"What!" She snapped at him, for interrupting her deep thoughts.

"Talk about temper." He teased her. "No – I wanted to ask you about Hikari."

"Yeah, I know. She hasn't been herself lately and you're worried, but she's strong and she has Tai to talk to." She said uninterested in the goggle head's personal problems. "I know you like her, but she doesn't date." Miyako recalled the first day she met Hikari, a classmate of her's who was very popular had asked her out, but she declined his kind offer, which left Miyako mystified, and instead of spreading rumors like many girls did, she decided to befriend Hikari and learn from her – how to kindly decline the boys that asked her out.

Daisuke sighed, it was like _his_ Hikari to pass off dates to give him the chance to ask her out himself. But he quickly shook of his daydream off. "Well thanks for the bout of confidence, but no. I was wondering if you seen around?"

Miyako's eyes were still on Armadillomon, but her multitasking abilities were abnormal for a person."Not since I last saw her in school. Why?"

"Well I think she's here."

"What? Here?"

"I think Hikari's here or at least been here."

She stared at him, slightly surprised and skeptical by his stupid assumption. A part of her wanted to call him a nitwit because not anyone could come to the Digital world. But she had heard the term 'Hikari' a lot. Was it possible that they weren't only talking about the light, but her good friend as well? "What do you have as proof?" Miyako asked, challenging Daisuke's deliberation.

"Piddomon named her by her full name." Daisuke said smugly.

She was about to retort, but Iori stepped in. "He's not lying." He said as if he knew that Miyako was going to retaliate. "He said her name was Hikari Kamiya."

Miyako remained quiet as she stared into Iori's sincere green orbs. He was young but he had that look in his eyes that superseded his years. She could see that he was being honest. "Are... are you guys sure?"

Daisuke leaned back on the soft sand allowing his hair to run down the small slopes of sand. "I wonder what type of Digimon partner she has. I bet it's someone just as beautiful as she is." Daisuke said trailing off into a daydream about _his_ precious Hikari.

Miyako rolled her eyes and and decided to get a drink from the small lake. She knew that everything in the desert was pure, especially the water, she knew it was the freshest water in all the Digital World because it was incredibly difficult to find the small oasis. But not for her. She had ventured in the Digital World for months, trying to stop the ever growing empire from taking over the Digital World. But there was one place that she wasn't sure of and that was the continent to the south, where the sun made no contact with the land and the forth moon loomed over reflecting nothing but darkness and despair.

The Continent Of Darkness.

Her eyes waved to the south, she could see that faint reddish aura in the sky. Even the long distance that separated them could not block that cursed aura and the chills it sent down her spine as well as the fear that stirred up the worst of memories. The way the bloodied aura loomed over the sky made it seem like if it was actually bleeding in agony from a person's brutal life.

"What is that?"

Miyako winced at the sound of Iori's voice, but quickly regained composure. "That is the Continent Of Darkness." Miyako answered. "Never go there, no matter what, don't go there."

"Why? Is it really that dangerous?" The curious Iori inquired.

Miyako shrugged. "I've never been there, but even Ryo doesn't get near that place."

Both of the stared off at the eerie symptom that plagued the small portion of the sky. The continent was on the other side of the planet and it was bigger than the continent of faith or light. The Continent of Darkness was also rumored to be the ultimate test for anyone who wanted an audience from the Digital Guardian. Only a few brave ultimate level Digimon would undergo the rumored quest only to never be heard of again. Others rumored that it was a one-way ticket to the Dark Area.

Miyako explained these rumors to Iori and possibly Daisuke who was within earshot but most likely lost in a fantasy world... other than the Digital World. But she could see a little growing fear in Iori's eyes, but he showed a sense of valor, something that she had not seen on a kid his age. Or even in herself when she first came to the Digital World.

"I ran into this odd shrine just a little ways off here. Have you seen it?" Iori asked.

Miyako shook her head, she had been through this desert several times but she had never seen any shrine. "No, where is it at?"

Iori pointed towards a small glint in the distance, it was barely visible but it was there. Miyako had not seen it, ever. She wondered if someone had recently placed something there.

"Come on, maybe you can tell me something about it." Iori said and stood up.

Miyako showed reluctance, she was suppose to be helping Iori and Daisuke look for their Digimon partners, not look at strange shrines... that also drew out her curiosity. She was always vigilant on the things that occurred on the Digital World. "Okay, but we have to start looking for your Digimon partner later."

Miyako literally had to pull Daisuke up and out of his daydreaming and drag him away from the oasis. They followed the glint until they arrived at the small monument that held the epitaph. Miyako read it to herself the words chiming like a bell on her head over and over. Like a lost memory that had emerged from the bottom of the sea of numerous thoughts that ran through her head.

Iori was unable to see it the first time because Armadillomon was sleeping next to it, but he saw a two very different symbols. "What's that." he said dusting away the sand.

Both Miyako and Daisuke pulled forward to get a closer look at the engraving, both immediately recognized them. "Two of the symbols from the Ancient Digimon." Miyako answered first.

"Big Mouth." Daisuke muttered, steaming mad because Miyako stole his line, but a question in his mind managed to calm him down. "Wait, that's AncientBeetlemon's symbol, why is carved here?"

It was true, the marking was indeed AncientBeetlemon's – the digimon of lightning.

His marking originated elsewhere near the factory region, far on the outskirts of forest they escaped from. The markings were translated to boarders, boarders that distinguished deserts, seas, forests, and many other areas. To have a marking else where would mean that there was an imbalance in the area. Or so that is the story that d'Arcmon told Miyako.

"Strange, I wonder what the symbol of..." Miyako was stopped by an abrupt tremor that wouldn't stop. The sudden quake sent them stumbling to the ground, and it continued.

A Digimon emerged behind the Monument of the desert, the golden sands cascading down it's rough ceramic body. It towered over them by fifth-fold and had a very sharp tail that made them cringe, it curved over it's body like a whip ready to be used on it's prey along with it's bone crushing pincers.

Miyako furrowed her eyebrows. "SkullScorpiomon."

The Digimon turned around slowly, it's yellow glowing eyes sending chills down Iori's spine and a sense of excitement down Daisuke's. "All humans who oppose the Digimon Kaiser's rule must die." he said stamping his claw on the sand, barely missing Iori and Miyako. "But orders are orders." The Digimon said. "I was told to ask you again, will you join our leader, or will you oppose the power of the Kaiser?"

Hawkmon lunged himself to the front-lines and stood up to the tall Digimon, his head tilted towards his partner. "Miyako." he said, readying his partner.

She stood up and pull a card out of her pocket. "Iori, stay behind me." She said. "Card Slash! Digi-Egg Of Love, Activate!"

A orb suddenly embraced the small digimon, captivating the eyes of the two newcomers and even the scorpion digimon. The orb shattered into glittering specks of glass and out came the newly evolved Halsemon, who ferociously pushed the ultimate level Digimon back. "Tempest Wing!" He spiraled around relentlessly pushing the Digimon back more.

"Poison Pierce!" The Digimon jabbed his deadly needle at Halsemon who evaded the deadly blade, but the flexibility was underestimated by the winged Digimon. The tail curved around him and hooked towards SkullScorpiomon who took him by the wings with his pincers.

Miyako didn't want to fight SkullScorpiomon, after all the bony Digimon was indeed an ultimate level Digimon, and even with her strongest cards, she could barely stand a chance. "Halsemon!"

The digimon chuckled evilly, his tail hovering dangerously close to Digimon' head. "You should have listen to me." The Digimon whispered pulled his tail back to deliver the finishing blow.

"Halsemon!" Miyako cried.

"Diamond Shell!"

A rolling object placed a good hit on SkullScorpiomon's head, forcing the digimon to release Halsemon. SkullScorpiomon stumbled back a few steps and shook off the daze. "Urgh, you'll pay for that you insect."

Halsemon slid back to his tamer's side with Armadillomon landing on top of him. "Your tail took me by surprise." Halsemon stated. "A mistake I don't intend on repeating."

SkullScorpiomon chuckled. "Black Out!"

Miyako's eyes widened. "Close your eyes!" She yelled. "And try not to breath it." She said taking Iori's hand. She felt that she was responsible for him, since she was the oldest.

Daisuke slid on his goggles, capable of seeing through the fog. He felt it hard to breath, but it didn't really bother him. He saw that Halsemon had climbed higher to the sky. _'You have to admit it... she's really good at handling herself.'_ the voice in his head said only to have him scoff. Miyako, better than him? Fat chance.

"Diamond Shell!"

Daisuke looked up to see Armadillomon being dropped on SkullScorpiomon like a bomb that bounced off the Digimon while causing insignificant damage. Halsemon continued to catch the small Digimon and continued the same routine. This only seemed to infuriate the undead Digimon.

The fog lifted and Miyako opened her eyes to the blurry SkullScorpiomon who was trying to stab the Digimon with his longer than usual tail. She smirked, the Digimon was to busy trying to get back at Armadillomon. She pulled out her most powerful card and eyed Halsemon. The bird Digimon nodded, almost as he could feel the touch of her light-brown eyes.

"Card Slash! Sleipmon's Icy Breath!"

She could feel that Daisuke was left in awe as she slashed the card passed her Digivice reader.

"Hang on." Halsemon warned his passenger as he quickly twirled his body into a twister of zero-degree gusts that froze anything they touched. SkullScorpiomon was caught in the middle of the cyclone and was frozen instantly. But as Halsemon continued to spin, the sands began to harden.

Miyako's eyes widened. "Halsemon stop!" She yelled in vain; she knew that the card was too powerful for an armor level Digimon to stop alone after an amount of time elapsed. Her eyes continued to widen as her partner slowly got further away from them. It wasn't fear for her safety that was concerning her, but the imbalance she was causing.

Without being able to hold on much longer, Armadillomon was shot out like a cannon from the tornado of ice, barely missing Iori by an inch.

Iori helped up the small Digimon. "Are you okay?"

"What? No my name is Armadillomon." He answered. Obviously still dazed from the blow.

"Halsemon!" Miyako ordered, but no answer came back from her partner. Was it what she had feared? Had the power of Sleipmon subdue her partner to the point of rage? The sandy ground below them froze over replacing the sand and the sun was obscured by the icy winds. It was lucky for them that they themselves had not frozen as well but the temperature had gone from Afghan hot to chilling Antarctica in less than five seconds. She had used the card before but never for long periods of time, or on a ultimate that required more power to subdue than a champion or rookie.

"Soul Crush!"

A loud cry from the sky whipped the group around to the foggy skies, but the cover of the blizzard was blinding them from whatever it was that shouted. The icy twister slowly heeled to a dark orb of energy and soon after subsided completely.

Miyako ran towards her partner who regressed back to his rookie form. While both Daisuke and Iori stared up at the slowly clearing sky. There they caught a glimpse of what appeared to be a glowing piece of cloth in mid air before the figure faded along with the fog that was caused by Halsemon's dangerous icy tornado. The sun blazed through the icy atmosphere immediately.

"What was that?" Daisuke asked.

Iori shurgged, the disoriented Armadillomon in his arms. He wondered if it was another one of those humanoid digimon that Piddomon and d'Arcmon spoke about. He stared at Armadillomon and wondered how a Digimon could look so much like a animal, or a beast, yet have a variation of humanoid Digimon.

Daisuke ran over to see if SkullScorpiomon was either dead, or just knocked out by Sleipmon's icy breath. It was like if he was eight all over again, with that sense of adventure driving his energetic curiosity that controlled his body.

Iori wondered if Digimon actually felt pain, as he stared at Armadillomon, he could see that it was looking more likely that Digimon were more than just data. The way he nestled deeper into his arms was enough to see that the Digimon had suffered from the cold tornado. The shivering reminded him of himself, when he would cry endlessly – left out in the cold, wondering about his father as the only memory he had.

A small crackling sound snapped him out of his heavyhearted memories, he stared down at the sheet of ice he stood over and he could see that it was falling apart. But he saw no sand below it, only a pitch black pit. His eyes widened as the ice began to rip apart more and more with every breath he took.

"Miyako..." he tried to shout, but she was too busy attending to her own partner. He saw the ice become weaker and weaker, he knew that he had no choice, one more movement, one more breath, and he was going down to the seemingly bottomless pit. "MIYAKO!" he shouted at the top of his lungs and the ice below him shattered.

Both Daisuke and Miyako turned around to find that Iori wasn't there any more. "I-Iori?" Miyako blinked, wondering where it was the young boy disappeared to.

She studied the sandy slopes as she made her way with Hawkmon in her arms and Daisuke next to her. There was nothing. "This is no time to play hide n' seek, kid!" Daisuke shouted, trying to scare Iori out.

"It's like if he was swallowed by the desert." Hawkmon uttered weakly.

Miyako's concern grew, she was worried about the boy. She knew the pleasures and the dangers of the Digital world very well. It took her weeks to adapt to things suddenly popping up, but Iori was younger than she was, and it was his first time here, if anything were to happen to him, it would be her fault because she took her eyes off him. "Where could he be?" she whispered to herself.

_x-)*((`~(Ω)~'))*(-x_

Iori awoke in a dim cave, sand covering his body completely and Armadillomon laying unconscious next to him. He dragged himself out of the tomb of sand and picked up the Digimon. "Are you okay?" He asked.

Armadillomon's body blurred a little, in a mosaic effect. "I... I'm okay." He muttered weakly.

Iori was unconvinced. He could see that he the short digimon was in a lot of stress trying to appear normal, his eyes squinting and his body still shaking.

He had seen this before.

A little boy doing his best to hold back the tears of anguish, his body shivering with anger, and the smile which he used to mask the sadness and hurt in display. The image of the man who was suppose to be his hero was but one of mere memories, tales from his mother and grandfather and visualizations that made him wish he was with him, by his side to guide him in a world filled with darkness.

He felt tears build up, but he did what he did best, he smiled it away.

"Pathetic."

Iori jerked up, with the weak Armadillomon in his arms, he turned around to see a person, in a cloak that covered his body completely with the help of the dim lighting. A eerie blood-red aura glowed from his body, which made Iori wonder if he was another humanoid digimon. But instead of seeing anything from this 'one' all he felt was the cold feelings of resentment, spite, the darkness.

"Do you really want to know?"

His voice was distorted, his tone was evil. It took him back to the voice he heard on the phone when he was dreaming... or was it real? "Are you the one who called me?"

"I can feel it inside you boy." He continued, ignoring Iori completely. "Do you really want to see your father?"

Iori narrowed his eyes at the being, but still confusion came over him. How did he know that Iori had lost his father? "Who are you?" Iori could see that there was a smirk under the shadow of his hood, it only made him indignant.

"I am the human host of darkness. The bearer of the holiest of elements that make us human." he chuckled. "I come bearing a gift for you. Iori Hida, but you have to promise me something."

Iori was silent. Normally he wouldn't accept or even listen to anyone who gave represented the darkness in anyway.

"I can show you your father again, but only if you leave this dimension and never return."

"What? That's impossible!"

The dark one chuckled. "Nothing is impossible in this universe... especially when I wield the powers of darkness. I am making you a kind offer, one I was never offered, go back. This war is not yours to fight, I am offering you a way out with no catches."

Impossible... that word made him wonder what were the boundaries of the Digital World, was it limited by science? Iori doubted it, the term impossible didn't really seem to apply to this place much. Every time he came close to uttering those words, he would see that the Digimon he held in his arms accept it as normal. But to see his father at the price of dealing with the shady character seemed kinda foolish... at the same time... this could have been the only time and chance he could be offered something like that.

"No... strings attacthed?" He saw the dark one nod. "I... I don't know."

"Think. If you stay here I promise you that you will regret it. Life is something that the Digital Guardians are not allowed to take, by staying here you'd only be giving up your life."

Iori looked down at the Digimon, he was at the brink of death, his grandfather had taught him to always do what's right, even if it meant going against a ruling authority, so long as it was something he felt was right to do. But as hard as it seemed to believe, the dark one that stood before him actually cared about his safety.

"What about Miyako? And Daisuke?"

The person without light shook his head. "Your friend, Miyako has already gone to far to turn back now, as for Daisuke... It's clear that he's made his mind up. You are the only one who is yet to decide his destiny."

Destiny. A word that was not in Iori's dictionary. Destiny did not exist in his mind, destiny was just another frontier that could be surpassed, nothing more. But this wasn't about destiny, it was about doing the right thing, and the right thing was telling him what his grandfather would tell him; _'if you can help in anyway, then do so because you want to'_

"Grandpa..." He muttered. "I... I can't."

"What?"

"I can't leave him." He cradling the small Digimon in his arms as he continued to blur. "It's not right..."

"...Because your grandfather told you to follow your conscience."

Again his green eyes faced the silhouette of darkness. "How-"

"I understand..." He said sounding displeased. "If you want to stay, fine. That is step one, and it seems that you already achieve the second step." He said hovering away from the boy. "If you what to exit this dark pit, you must prove that you are ready to face the challenges that await you."

Like that the being disappeared into the darkness leaving Iori alone in the pit where he had fallen, with the slowly fading Armadillomon in his arms. He sat down and tried to attend the weaken Digimon but to no avail, the Digimon had taken some recoil damage from the icy attack that Halsemon produced. He needed to find help, and quick. But he still didn't know how he got to where he was nor did he know about any exits, all he could see is darkness, very much like on earth.

A sudden eruption startled Iori, he stared eye widened as the emerging bony scorpion pierced the solid earth with his claws and tail. He watched as the Digimon whip around to face him, stabbing his claws on the ground, trying to intimidate him.

"So, you're here as well. Let's see how brave you are without your friends. Poison Pierce!" He darted his tail towards Iori and Armadillomon.

"Diamond Shell!" Armadillomon countered, managing to avert the poisonous tail away from Iori but not before taking in some serious damage himself.

"Armadillomon!" Iori cried as he watched the Digimon slide across the darkness. He rushed to the small Digimon who began to blur more violently. "Are you okay?"

"I... I think..." He began to blur in a static. "...I... I think not..."

"Rawwhhh!" SkullScorpiomon fished his tail out of the boulder that crumbled before his might. "You've defied the rule of the Digimon Kaiser and General for far too long."

Iori stared at the Digimon, again Armadillomon in his arms. In the little time the two had known each other, the Digimon had protected him since he first arrived, now he was going to do the same for him. He wasn't going to show the Digimon that loomed over him any fear, he wasn't going to give him that victory, and as the sharp tail drew closer to him, he remembered something that his grandfather had told him; _Fear is it's own darkness, if you wish to spark courage and hope, you must unburden yourself from fear.'_ To him, it felt like if time itself was hindered by the sudden urge to fight, but it wasn't like that.

Suddenly the device he stored in his pocket began to glow and he saw that SkullScorpiomon had stopped moving and the Digimon vanished in a dust of darkness.

"You have a strong heart, kid." The same voice from the dark one came. "You really want to do this? You really want to get involved in our affairs?"

He nodded. The affairs of his friends were his own.

A deep sigh was heard as the device's glow began to intensify. "So young, so stupid – admirable – but stupid. It's your life, I can't tell you what to do."

"Please, can you help him?" Iori pleaded to the darkness.

"You light is already healing him." The voice stated. "I just hope that your mind doesn't break, you still have darkness in you, and as long as you have that, you will never reach your full potential... Remember Hikari's name, it will help you get out of this hell-hole... See you soon kid, the path you've chosen will force you to see more of me."

The cold chill that followed the darkness and the voice left, replaced by the light which shined brightly from Iori's Digivice. But the last words from the voice stuck with him. _'what did he mean? Does he know?'_ He could only wonder if the dark one knew him in some way on earth. He averted his eyes to Armadillomon, the glow of his Digivice blanketing his body with the light. He could see that the stress in his body was gone and there he knew that the Digimon was going to be okay. But as the Digimon began to in his hands and very eyes, he could feel something familiar, the same feeling he had with his grandfather.

A bond of trust.

x-x

Elsewhere, looming over the desert was the dark one, the bearer of the crest of darkness – Roy. He fastened his fist to burn his Digisoul, despite all he tried, he had failed. He had failed to make the Digidestined see that this was not their war, and now he was failing with the new breed of 'Digimon Tamers'. It infuriated him to watch the Digital Guardians simply manipulate the mind of Daisuke so easily. The TV show was just to glamorize a Digital Adventure when in reality it was a constant test of one's resolve and one's mental threshold. He was a fool to think that a person that had a Digimon partner could still go back on the path, but no, once a bond was made, you were a target to every evil Digimon, thus Takato, Henry, Rika, Miyako, Ryo, everyone he was aware of that had a Digivice was tainted and would eventually end up like Ken if they had the thing they cherished most taken from them.

However he questioned himself today, he knew that Iori had little to no knowledge on Digimon, but still he decided to stay. All because it was the right thing to do.

He frowned. "I want to see how much you can take before you break." He muttered bitterly before he disappeared, leaving that sense of sporadic spite. He may have the ability to read minds, feel out the evil in people's hearts, manipulate time, and manipulate data itself, but all of that was worthless if he couldn't understand what drove the light in the hearts of people.

For now, he was going to go back to earth, to live his life as he pleased, but the darkness in him would never rest and he would have to find his sense of peace, which often was someone else nightmare.

* * *

Well that's all for this chapter, I nearly topped my word limit. Still wondering where the fic is going? Well keep guessing cause there are more curve balls in this segment. Hope you guys continue to tune in and read further more into this story. A special thanks to the Militia members who've allowed me to use their quotations and for sparing me some time from training to post up. With work and training, I've got a lot of things on my plate...

Stay safe, and por favor, review... is that spelled right? Openoffice doesn't have spell check for Spanish... lol


	8. The Sparks Of Courage

Digital Revolutions: Corruption Of Minds  
Chapter 8

Disclaimer – I don't own Digimon... If I did... well actually there wouldn't be anything I would change at the moment.

_**)=Reviews=(**_

**Omega** – Well Dai will find his partner soon, I just want to mix it up a bit. As for the drawings... well I don't like the way they came out. I'll be working on it with CS5. I know, but I like to interpret things, unlike you.

**Aero** – Arigato, Aero... By the way, I managed to get more of the Megidramon done, but I didn't like the way it came out and with Photoshop CS5 on my side, I think I can improve.

**Hector** – I am relieve to hear that your okay bro... thanks for letting us know, and thanks for your support. I will pray for the Japanese people and you too.

A/N: Chapter eight... I had a bit of trouble with this one, strange since I believe there is much more to Daisuke than meets the eye in the Anime... I hope you guys forgive me for the lag, I don't know why but I held up in the updates because of this chapter alone... right now, my heart rests with the people of Japan who've suffered because of the recent events. I will see if there is anyway I can help, I imply that you guys do the same, I just ask you not to trust the UN.

_The quest for light, a worthwhile fight. Will you have what it takes? Come what may._  
-Iced Earth, Come What May

* * *

_The Sparks Of Courage_

x-x

The search team, lead by Satsuma; found itself once again riding on Worm the Trailmon. He was much more friendly knowing that he carried with him one of the illustrious bearers of the legendary crests, let alone the holy crest of light. His next destination was the scorched desert plains which tested the will of even Worm, though not to the point of exhaustion, maybe enough to slow him down, but never to that degree of collapsing.

Hikari stared out the surprisingly clean window and out to the desert, it was like a actual sea, the wind pushing the sands as hot as boiling water down slopes and waves of trillions of grains. It was hot, even with Tailmon's air conditioned comfort ride, the heat was still felt on the windows. "Are you okay Worm? You're not tired?" She asked.

He whooed loudly. "Nah, I'm the toughest Trailmon around, I'll be fine."

It was strange, but somehow she worried more when Digimon would say that, exactly the way Worm said it, using 'I'm the toughest' and 'I'll be fine' in the same sentence. She had an idea of what her crest power meant for Digimon, but she also didn't want to be treated any better than she normally did back on earth. Although one of the perks of having her crest meant that she didn't have to worry about Digimon attacking her... at least that is what she thought until she met Pandamon.

"Just leave me alone." She heard Rika calmly retort to the oldest man.

"...We just want to know how it is you came to Digital Universe." The captain continued

Rika sighed out of aggravation and simply moved a seat away from the captain. She was still wearing that same attire she was force to wear after being in the Digital World for only a short time, which made them wonder what type of trouble she had gotten into.

Hikari stared at Rika, her dismissive and lone wolf attitude reminded her about how Yamato was when his parents divorced and parted. It only worried her even more that Rika was experiencing something similar and had no one to talk to, unlike Yamato who had Taichi. Rika was always quiet in class and had no friends to speak of, only admirers which she gained after winning the card game championship. Hikari sighed, a lot of things were happening quickly, and who knew what sort of trouble her good friend Daisuke had gotten into. If a girl as calculating as Rika had difficulty on the Digital World, Daisuke who would sometimes be careless would be on a much worst situation. She shook her head, she had to stop thinking about that, Daisuke always found a way of coming out of situations unharmed, and strangely enough stronger than before.

She just hoped that it was the same this time around. She herself had seen the situations that this universe could put someone through, and the tough decisions It forced someone to make.

**.:-:.**

"Iiiiooo-ri!" The quickly growing impatient gogglehead hollered, but alas they had been unsuccessful at finding the young kid and Armadillomon. He was rather bothered, he had something more important to do than play babysitter, like look for his partner in case they ran into any more trouble. But Miyako made it perfectly clear that she wanted him to help look for Iori. Normally he would have never accepted such an order, especially from someone who humiliated him, but Iori was young, and it was up to them to look after him, again like Miyako said.

He sighed, it was getting hotter and Iori wasn't anywhere in view. "How can we lose someone in a desert? It's not like a cactus kidnapped him." He said aloud.

"Shut up." Miyako slightly startled him from behind. "Just look and stop complaining."

Daisuke didn't say anything. Instead he wondered how it was that someone as bossy and annoying as Miyako got a partner Digimon. _'she couldn't even control her partner with Sleipmon's modify card.'_ the voice in his head reminded. He was in every way as deserving to have a Digimon partner, and he was going to show her that he was in every way as capable than her and better as well.

His stomach had other plans, it growled loudly. He turned red and smile nervously at Miyako who met his smile with annoyance.

"We just ate, how can you still be hungry?"

Daisuke shrugged. "I dunno, my strong body demands a lot of nutrients."

"Ugh." Miyako rolled her eyes and tossed him a small energy bar. "That should fill you up."

Daisuke tore open the plastic wrapping and took it down in a single bite. "Thanks." He said with a mouthful. "You know... you're really prepared, I'm impressed."

She peeked on her toes to get a better look of the area. "I just pack the essentials. If you're impressed, then your not going to last here."

"Yeah, it's good that I have you to help me, no?" He answered as a last ditch effort in making a friend out of Miyako, before he snapped.

She remained silent for a few seconds before answering. "It makes me wonder how you survived for a second without me." She said, not really paying him no mind.

So much for trying to make friends with the girl. She wasn't going to make it easy for him, but why was Miyako so... different towards him? Was it that crazy theory where if a girl was mean to you, it meant that she liked you? Not Miyako, she appeared to be the girl to be straight forwards about those things, having witness her display her feelings with Hikari during lunch over Apollo from Jihad. Or did she simply not like him at all? Whatever the case, it infuriated Daisuke to be put down like that.

"What's your deal!" He snapped. "I'm trying to be nice – you act like a snob. What? You think I'm not good enough to be a Tamer?"

Miyako turned to him, clearly irritated with the spiky goggle head. "You want to know why? Iori's missing and I haven't seen SkullScorpiomon anywhere since then! That leads me to conclude that he might have Iori" She was face to face with Daisuke, an inch away from slapping him. "But you want to know what annoys me about you the most? The fact that YOU think this is a freaking game and don't care about Iori, well this through your thick head, this is NOT a game. We don't get any second chances, if we lose here, then we are DONE!"

Daisuke slipped and and stared at Miyako, who loomed over him like his mother, shocked by her sudden little outburst.

"SkullScorpiomon disappeared along with Iori, he's just a kid, he shouldn't even be here, and all you can think about is yourself." She said a little more calm. "I don't know why you were chosen, but I think it's a mistake."

Daisuke watched as she turned her back on him and took ten steps before she stopped. "Just leave, I think I'll be better off without you. I'll look for Iori and take him back home."

He was left speechless. He wasn't expecting something like THAT, but then again he knew that girls were more... expressive than boys. But still she didn't have to yell at him like that._'I'll show her, I'll find Iori and get my Digimon partner.' _ he stood up and ventured in the opposite direction, towards the mountains, alone and with nothing or no one but himself to rely on.

A spat that would equal trouble for the two team members, especially with someone as stubborn as Miyako and as carefree as Daisuke. But maybe he would come out of this stronger, or end up dead, Miyako was experienced and knew how to take care of herself, not only that, she had Hawkmon with her to protect her. And Daisuke... well he had no one but himself.

**.:-:.**

Iori wondered deeper into the cave, his Digivice shinning the way through the darken path and it's many traps that were sure to ensnare any unaware travelers. But his Digivice had changed from the hollow piece of plastic to resemble a important looking artifact made of lightweight metals. It had a small screen with strange symbols on it, the same ones he saw in the temple. He was still unaware of it's real purpose but he knew that it helped him save Armadillomon from the brink of death after their little encounter with SkullScorpiomon. He glanced at Armadillomon who was walking alongside him, the Digimon smiling at him for saving his life.

Iori smiled, but his mind still on the dark figure who tried to actually help him leave this place. He still needed to find out who it was that called him to this place and even brought him.

But it was strange, Miyako seemed to accept all this as normal and so did Daisuke, though he was more enthralled by the whole Digital World thing than accepting. Iori saw it differently, he was still wondering about the strange world, why he was called, and for what reason. One thing his grandfather told him was that accidents don't exist, that everything happened for a reason and it was up to one to follow it through because a 'accident' could hold opportunities.

That only made him question his path.

But that was a thing of the past and now he live on with what his grandfather said to him, with new question. Thanks to that, he met Armadillomon and even made a friend of him. SkullScorpiomon was gone and now all that was left was to follow the path to exit the cave. But as he coursed through the darkly path, he noticed strange symbols on the walls, one in particular that reminded him of one of the crests in the temple back in the forest region. But there was a different one that was very different from the others, almost like if it was a letter from a different language.

"What's up Iori?" The small Digimon asked.

Iori stopped and averted his Digivice to the walls for a better look. "It's those patterns, I'm curious to find out what they mean."

The Digimon's head swayed a little. He too was wondering about the strange writing, having no knowledge of the ancient writing of the Digimon that once roamed the planet. But it perplexed him to see that an outsider was interested to learn more about the Digital Universe and it's way of living.

Iori and Armadillomon decided to stay on track and continued on their journey.

Iori wondered what the future held for him. He was confident that this wasn't a dream, having felt the types of feelings he did earlier. His heart and mind had never been pushed to such a limit – to risk his life for a unearthly friend. He was aware of his young age, no doubt, but he was force to grow up quickly and accept his father's death. His grandfather did not relent on revealing such news, for he knew that lying was never right either.

Now his selflessness had rewarded him with a friend who would do the same for him. "You know, Armadillomon... That strange monument in the desert was right... It did reveal our true colors."

Armadillomon smiled, knowing that it was true.

**.:-:.**

Daisuke stumbled through the border that separated the desert region and the mountain area. Immediately he could feel the freshness and coolness from the winds that whistled through the various valleys and peaks. However he was worn out, his anger towards Miyako had caused him to ignore his weariness from before and with more than a five mile hike through the unforgiving desert, he was running on empty.

In a blur, he took a seat and laid down on his back. _'a little nap would do me good'_ and his eyes wondered to a black oblivion but his mind roamed through the sea of memories that he had made.

_A ten year old Daisuke sat on his school desk his eyes glued to the seat next to him where Hikari used to sit and smile at him to brighten his day. He was in the dumps knowing that she was going to move away. His best friend... due to move away with his idol, Taichi. It didn't seem fair to him, but what could he do? Nothing._

_He had seen Taichi's protest to them moving, but it didn't help. Their father had found a better job in Shinjuku._

_It wasn't that far, one could get there on train, but that meant that he would only get to see her on weekends, and with his schedule filled up with soccer practice and other activities, he was going to have to choose..._

_After school, he met Hikari at her near empty apartment with her brother picking up the last of their things. "Kari... you don't mind if I go over on the weekends?" He asked._

_Hikari looked at him and smiled melancholically at the goggle head. "I would love you to but... You have soccer practice. I wouldn't want you to miss it for me." Daisuke opened his mouth to speak but Hikari continued. "Besides... it's not like we're saying good-bye."_

"_We're not?"_

_She shook her head, a optimistic smile on her."I'm sure it won't be the last time we'll be together."_

_Daisuke blinked wondering how is it that Hikari managed to look at the bright side so easily and remain so hopeful. But since then he had acquired that ability, Hikari's ability to be hopeful and cheerful to the point that some would call him carefree._

_It showed during one time when one of his games got canceled due to their team missing more than half their teammates because of a stomach virus caused by school food. He remembered that he went over Shinjuku and even slept over at the Kamiya's because he lost track of time. It was all good and Hikari even complimented him for becoming so much lighthearted, though he did show some competitiveness when he played video games with Taichi._

_Nevertheless, he remembered that in the night, she got up to use the computer. He remembered poking his head into the computer room and saw her in her pajamas. She was smiling, in a way he had never seen her smile before. The glare and angle of the computer monitor made it impossible for him to see who she was chatting with or if there was even a video feed. A pint of jealousy hit but so did guilt. He had returned to his sleep with the shame of spying on his best friend and the sister of his hero._

_Since she had moved out, he lived only with hope. Hope that one day he would be reunited with her._

_He had gotten into the Digimon game as quickly as Taichi and Hikari did. Just to feel that he wasn't missing out on something the two might discuss at one time, but slowly Digimon crept into his heart. He even went with Hikari and Taichi to the opening of the band, Jihad when they started before Digimon even made it's debut. It was in a small Cafe just out of Shinjuku park. He did everything for her and she would try to do the same for him, she would go to his big soccer matches whenever she could, and she had never forgotten about him._

_Beautiful and graceful is how he saw her all the time, but seeing her out of character that last day made him worry significantly. It's like if the light that she shined wasn't there that day._

_Not like before. When she managed to easily sooth him after losing a big game._

"_I can't believe we lost." he pounded the floor hard with his foot._

_A soft touch on his shoulder drenched the raging fire that drove his anger. "Don't be mad, you did your best. I don't think any less of you, nor do your friends."_

_And everything was okay with the simplicity of her words._

_He had never felt like that with anyone, not his mother, not his father, not his sister, not even Taichi. He was like a fool, believing every word that a single person told him, but Hikari had never lied to him... or so he thought._

_If it was truly real, that Piddomon was referring to Hikari Kamiya, the sister of Taichi Kamiya, then why had she kept it a secret from him? It was a big deal and the Digital World was in peril._

"I'm worried about him." A soft voice crept through to his mind. He slowly opened his eyes to a fire that blurred into focus. "I shouldn't have left him out of my sights."

It was Miyako. Daisuke remained motionless, hoping to hear that he made her feel bad. After all he was trying to be nice to her... but then again he allowed his pride to let get the best of him and try and make it across the scorching desert without her – sheer will exploited to it's maximum because of it. But still he was curious to see how much he had worried the girl.

"I just got so angry because... Iori's missing and I feel that he was my responsibility, and I couldn't even do that right."

Now he felt guilt. He never knew that she had taken Iori or even his own safety that serious.

"Don't be too hard on yourself." A voice that was unfamiliar to Daisuke spoke comfortably. "Take it from me, some boys are too... what some call _'macho'_ to be looked after, or so they say." _she_ added playfully.

Miyako laughed modestly and sighed. "But Iori doesn't look like the type of person to say that. Daisuke, yeah, but even if he didn't want to I should have kept an eye on the kid, after all I am the one with the experience."

"Kid?" He jolted up, and whipped around to see the two lightly startled girls. "Who are you calling a kid?"

"That would be you, goggle head." A third person wearing rags around her body answered coldly. She turned to face him, leaving him lightly surprised. "Have a nice nap, kid."

"You... Rika..." He whispered but immediately scowled at her. "Hey, you're the same age as me, so be quiet with that kid stuff."

The dismissive girl chuckled lightly and turned to her partner who watched over her under the shadows of the boulders.

It was nighttime, and the sun was replaced by the three moons that hovered majestically over the planet, the moon of hope directly over them. It sparkled less tonight for some unknown reason, but it's beauty still radiated like a blessing upon the weary travelers it watched.

"Enough you two." The girl with the reddish hair intervened. "Now, kid, what happened?"

Daisuke nearly tripped over as a girl whom he didn't even know call him kid again, he was about to snap at her when something hit him. "Who are you?"

"Call me Yoshi, that's as far as I'll go with my name, kid. Now what happened?"

Daisuke's head dropped but a smirk slowly crept up. "Yoshi? Like in Super Mario Brothers?" His playful inquiry triggered a death glare from the young women, causing him to fall into silence. So he faced Miyako who sat there, her hand on her forehead out of embarrassment. Taking a deep breath, he swallowed his pride. "Miyako... I'm sorry, I was a little..." What was the word for the way he acted? The only one he could come up with was enthusiastic.

Miyako sighed and shook her head. "Jerk?" She answered for him.

"If that makes you feel better then... yeah." Again he saw her exhale a deep breath.

"I guess I'm sorry too." Miyako admitted. "Let's just forget about this and start over again." and she smiled.

"So everything's okay?"

He slowly cranked his head to the peculiar thing next to Yoshino. He hadn't noticed it earlier, but that small thing was actually a Digimon. "You... You're a Digimon and you must... be a Tamer?"

"He's a smart one." Lalamon stated sarcastically.

Yoshino glared a scold at her partner before turning to the surprised goggle head. "Sorry, but you're going to have to wait for the others before we can give you any answers."

_'Others?'_ he asked himself. And almost as if cue, a man, two boys and a slim girl who he knew very well came into view from behind the stones that lead a path further into the valley. It was difficult for his brain to take it in, but somehow it seemed right to see her in the Digital World, his heart was telling him so.

"Daisuke..." She whispered loud enough for him to hear. A smile of relief came upon her. "I'm glad to see that you're okay."

Daisuke tried to say something, but he felt as if someone had clogged his windpipe and stolen his ability to speak.

He nodded, the next best thing to speaking was the body language, and Hikari was quick to see that he was shocked by her appearance in the Digital Universe... or maybe it was something else, something like betrayal.

She felt nervous, Daisuke was one of the utmost honest person she knew, heck he didn't make it a secret to hide his crush for her, and she had rarely seen him silent, Miyako and Daisuke had that in common. She saw him rise to his feet and face her blankly. Her it came, she was expecting him to forgive her, or bark at her for lying to him.

"I'm... dreaming." He managed to utter. "Kari... is that you?"

She nodded tentatively and refused to meet his eyes out of guilt. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

She didn't notice him pinch his cheek to assure himself that he wasn't dreaming. He snapped out of his dazed and smiled, he never wanted Hikari to feel bad because of him, nor would he do anything to hurt her. "Don't even give it another thought." He said cheerfully.

Hikari returned with a grateful smile. She was lucky that Daisuke could be more or less understanding than most people.

His eyes were averted by the white feline with icy blue eyes. "Is that your partner?"

Hikari proceeded to introducing everyone. "Daisuke, this is Gatomon. Gatomon, this is my friend from school, Daisuke."

**.:-:.**

Elsewhere, in the metropolis beauty of Shinjuku Japan, the moon was upon a certain couple, glowing almost as much as the bright neon lights below on the streets. Taichi and Sora enjoyed the blessing of the light polluted city who's only rival was the moon on the roof top of the building in which he live in. Both were enjoying there time together which was coming to be really short with the mid-semester exams and all their activities, mainly Taichi who still had soccer practice to look forward to in the morning. Despite that, his time with Sora was something he treasured most. (A/N: Remember what I said about the school system, I had a strange one...)

They were in complete silence, just enjoying one another's embrace and presence. At times they didn't have to say anything, they could read each other almost perfectly. However, this time they were on the topic at hand; the new assigned and self-acclaimed Tamers who defined a partnership with Satsuma on the search team that the sister of Taichi Kamiya started.

"... I'm also a little surprised that Takato decided to go. He was a bit of a coward back when I led the soccer team."

Sora giggled at him and shook her head. "That's not nice."

"What? He's the one who admitted it. I guess having a Digimon partner changed him." He answered remembering the first day he met Agumon.

"I guess it did, but what about his friend, Henry. He didn't seem too fascinated by the idea of going to the digital world."

"That's Henry for you. He's always worried about something, but tends to keep that to himself, he's kinda like Joe was, but without the anxiety tendencies."

Both teenagers laughed, though it was a little mean, it was true, back then. Now, not so much.

"Ah, man... where does the time go?" Taichi asked leaning further on the ground and Sora wrapped around his arms, not worrying if he got dirty on the smooth roof floor. "I feel like it was only yesterday that we got sucked into the Digital World and were almost killed like a hundred times."

Sora remained quiet but smiled as she thought back to that fateful day, a milestone in her life, one that allowed her to grow and understand things on a better perspective, thanks to her partner, and her friends. She understood everything on a new level after, and now that she was older, her knowledge and experience had bloomed. She was now the person whom people would seek advice from, back then it was her who would seek advice.

"I wonder how the search is going." Sora wondered.

"I'm pretty sure the search is going well." Taichi said optimistically. "Satsuma's with them, the only thing I'm worried about is how Daisuke is going to explain this one to his parents."

"This one?" Sora asked.

"Yeah, last time he came for a sleep over during the weekend and he didn't tell his parents... I'm sure he'll be able to get away with this without mentioning the Digital World to his parents, but he'll get grounded for a while."

"Oh." Sora blinked, she didn't know much about Daisuke, except that he was Taichi's fan and that he had a crush on Hikari, but that is as far as it went. But now she kinda drew the picture, Daisuke was nearly the same as Tai, sometime forgetful out of subconscious rebellion.

"You remember, it was that day we went to see Cecil and Roy play in their band for the first time."

"I know, I remember." Sora answered, recalling that day very well. It was a very romantic one, and a very rowdy one. For one, the music was lovely and romantic, she never imagined that Cecil, DATS member Apollo, and the two other people that made the band, could ever write something so romantic and meaningful. She remembered sinking into Taichi's arms while the song played, without a care in the world – then boom, it was brought down to a hard phase. One that involved loud and obnoxious music that threw everyone into a mosh frenzy.

"So do I." A new voice startled them to their feet. And there he stood, Roy, a grin playing on his face and a long coat that wrapped his body almost completely. "I remember you two getting all hands and tongues, it was like watching wild kingdom."

"Roy!" Both Taichi and Sora asked, their faces glowing in a dim red. "W... What do you want?" Taichi asked

"It's nice to see you too." Roy said deviously. "It's real good to see you guys again."

Taichi sighed, Roy was never normally one to call someone by 'guys'. "Aww man, what did you do and what do you want?" he half groaned.

"I need a place to crash and you seemed like the closest one, soooo... can I?"

"What did you do?" Sora asked, slightly annoyed by Roy's presence.

"Nothing..." He said noticing the glares from both teens. "Okay... I may have kinda, sorta, gotten into it with a couple of photographers." He admitted noticing their blank and confused faces. "I got in a fight with some photographers, and if I wanted to avoid the constant nagging from Cecil, and the other DATS agents, I needed to sneak out."

Taichi and Sora glanced at each other, before Taichi sighed. "Fine, you can stay at my place. I'm sure we'll be hearing about this on the news."

"By the way. That old geezer and your sister have already located three of the missing people." Roy said, knowing well that he could get away without saying thanks if he gave them the news afterward.

"What? Really? That's great." Taichi said enthusiastically.

Sora however felt strange towards this. It felt like another evil was unraveling beneath them and there was nothing they could do about it. What she heard in their last group meeting sounded a lot like what she heard when Apocalymon was around – no one knew anything. But at least she could bathe in the relief that the missing children were safe, even if it was most of them. She had confidence that it wouldn't go to worst, Taichi sparked that about everyone, if he had faith in someone, they would always succeed.

"Now, I am going to take a bath, I smell like squid." With a single wave of his hand, Roy marched back out the same way he came in, heading towards the Kamiya apartment.

"Hey! You can't just waltz in my house like that!" Taichi shouted as he chased after him. "Are you even listening? Get back here!"

Sora sighed. _'Talk about bad timing.'_

**.:-:.**

"I see." Satsuma said, examining the hollow device that was suppose to be Daisuke's Digivice. "So this is what d'Arcmon gave you."

"Yup." Daisuke said with a smile. "She said that I had to find my partner and that is what I'm doing."

Yup, Daisuke was smiling. How could he not? Hikari was right next to him in a place that was thought to be nonexistent. So were his two new friends, Henry and Takato who also had their own partners. He was quick to understand why Digimon had to be kept a secret, he didn't feel spite for Henry or Takato, let alone Hikari.

"We will set camp here and resume our search tomorrow." Satsuma announced handing Daisuke his soon-to-be Digivice.

"What?" Miyako asked. "We're not going to look for Iori?"

Satsuma gazed up at the moon, it was glowing, but the in the Digital Universe danger always hid behind every shadow. "It's late, we will continue once day breaks."

Miyako shook her head, she agreed to tag along because Hikari told her that they would search for Iori, but as she gazed at Hikari, she could see that her friend had no say in the matter.

"Well you guys can rest up." Daisuke spoke up, much to her surprise. "I'm gonna look for the kid." He grinned at Miyako who only stared at him, confused. "Wadaya say, Miyako?"

Miyako blinked, she had not expected this from Daisuke. She smiled. "Right. You can stay here and rest, but it would help us if you came with us." Miyako said picking up her stuff.

Hikari sighed, she knew that her friend was stubborn and would not change her mind once set on something, but she too was greatly worried about the still missing child. "I... I'll go."

"I'm in, anything is better than sitting here." Rika said with a smirking smugly at the older man.

"You can't!" Yoshino interjected, for she was the only one who trusted Satsuma. "We have to refrain from putting anyone in danger."

"So it's okay to leave the kid on his own?" Daisuke asked. Apparently it was good enough to silence Yoshino and earn yet another glare from her.

"Very well." Satsuma sighed. "We will continue our search." he said seeing as how it would be pointless to have a camp without anyone in it. It was clear to him that they were going to need to find Iori before they settled down to leave.

A smile formed on Hikari grateful face, she admired that about Daisuke, it reminded her of Taichi. He sparked that courage to stand up against anyone, even someone like Satsuma, who wasn't evil in anyway but had a sense of security that exceeded a normal parent. She glanced at her ring, she was still hopeful that the youngest boy, Iori, was still well. She followed Daisuke and Miyako knowing that the spark of courage that was in her heart, had ignited.

* * *

Take care and review and excuse my typos.


	9. The Dark Spiral

Digital Revolutions: Corruption Of Minds  
Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon...

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**Omega**: Thanks for that, it looks so awesome! And I might have hit a hick-up on my drawings. It seems that Photoshop CS5 was having trouble with my Wacom Tablet. By the way, I read your status on Facebook, which means I can add your contribution to our total.

**Aero Angemon**: Well I guess I can say, by the next chapter, he'll be making his first appearance. Hopefully they are, and I hope that nothing else gets worst. As friends to the Japanese we should do what we can to help them. Heck, I'm wondering how I can help, but... I guess there isn't much I can do for them other than donations...

**Kiara**: Takeru will be coming out by the next chapter... only briefly where he will take the spot light in the chapter after that.

**KakiTenshi**: Takeru will be making his first appearance in the next one. That's a bummer for both of you, but the Red Cross is accepting Donations if you want to help. We, in the RK Community, already made several donations. We totaled $488 out of all the members that managed to chip in. After that, all you can do is pray, and continue donating if you want to.

**TogetherAgain**: Thanks. Hope you stick around for the long run.

**A/N:** There isn't much to say that I haven't said in the previous chapter, although I do want to thank those who've fav'd or subscribed to the story. Also, sorry for the delay, my Laptop was in dire need of a new processor and I just got some 4 GB of RAM installed on it for Photoshop CS5... By the way I've updated the art to Cecil with the help of my good friend Omega. He's a talented (Lazy) artist at times. I've posted the link on my profile, you can't miss it.

_Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend._  
- Albert Camus

* * *

_The Dark Spiral_

"**Light and darkness**... both are subconsciously sought by the human race... some willing to bring them together at any cost for the good of their own, while others pursue the sacred powers for their own greed, individually. However these two sacred and holy artifacts are never to coexist in their raw forms. Both light and darkness gave birth to the human race, drawing them out from the infinite reaches of space, allowing them to live freely in the blue gem known as Earth. Eventually light and darkness found it's home on a human host who would lead a group of people to prosperity. But because light and darkness were never meant to coexist, the host became corrupt and the entity proclaimed itself as a god. It was after the downfall of that god that the light and darkness sought independent hosts throughout the centuries that came. Now in the present, a child deriving from Japan wields the holy light. Darkness residing inside a teenage boy whom, according to him, originated from the UK."

A knight covered in armor as dark as the shadows in which he surveyed with his crimson eyes had rehearsed to his audience. A audience that consisted of two heavily armored, Class X, Digital Monsters and their two human companions.

"Is this that strange theory you told Cecil, sir Alphamon? You can't just hypothesize something as crucial as this" The Digimon with more machine features than one of a knight, asked.

The legendary Alphamon. His presence in the Digital Universe was missed by all who longed to become Knights themselves. "Can you blame me for theorizing to this conclusion? As far as mankind's records go, both these elements were always abused for the one face that has no name – Evil. But now it seems that few humans have transcended beyond others. Hikari and Royce are the best examples. Hikari is kind, humble, and gentle. The perfect person for the light to grow. But it only worries me about Royce. Darkness is not easy to express, and sometimes darkness can confuse people, darkness best thrives in the closest things that resemble evil and to gain the gift of darkness he had to give up so much, he only knows one way to express darkness."

"Death." The other Digimon covered in sinister armor of murky purple said softly. "Do you think it's Roy who's been-"

"Don't say it, don't even think it, Craniummon." The girl that lurked in the blanket of Craniummon's shadows scolded. "Roy can be a jerk, but he would never do _that_."

"I agree." Alphamon said. "It pains me to even think about that... but Roy is the best suspect. He himself once said that he lived in the shadows of death, that his very survival depended on it."

"What about the light?" The robotic Digimon inquired. "In your theory, if you hypothesized accurately, the light corrupted this being who became a god as well, how is that possible?."

Alphamon nodded. "If light were to exist and transcend beyond the darkness in scale, it would thrive to make a peaceful and perfect world... but in the process, liberties would be taken for the safety of others, those who'd oppose it would be seen as subjects of all that is evil and eventually a utopia where nothing happens without a reason would exist. Imagine having your fate handed to you by a single entity? Darkness would turn maverick against it for the good of everything in an attempt to balance out the light. It's the same story with light."

"So a world without violence is impossible?" The other girl on the robotic Digimon's shoulder asked.

"All the Human Race and Digital Race can do is work for a better world, not a perfect one." His wings fluttered against the wind as he flipped around to face his audience. "Cecil knows this. It is why he refuses to have his destiny read to him by mere predictions. Craniummon, Raidenmon, as Digital Guardians it will be your duty to protect your partners without invading their privacy – we went through that already. But we've not offered the same courtesy to the Digidestined... despite what Cecil, Satsuma, or even what Arceumon orders, I want you to stand down and give them space to grow. If Cecil truly doesn't believe in prophecies, then he should have faith in the Digidestined; that they will handle this without any problems."

Craniummon saw that Raidenmon concurred with everything that Alphamon said, but he himself was having difficulty in just letting the Digidestined fight such an overwhelming foe. But Alphamon knew best. Craniummon saw through to his endgame, he saw that in order to awake the fallen Digidestined, he would have to be exposed to people who would fight him to a bitter end to save him – show him that people still loved him.

After all... a long time ago he made a promise... a promise that he would need help with.

"Great, let's head back. Dad's going to freak if he finds out we went out after hours." The girl on Raidenmon's shoulder said.

x-x

It was morning, and after searching for Iori in deep hours of the night, they had found nothing. This was their last given day before they had to go back home and try back again next week, and it infuriated Satsuma to go back in failure, again. His eyebrows furrowed, wondering where Cecil and the other Digital Guardians were in all this.

Kudamon felt his tension, and though he didn't show it, he was worried for his partner. Since this journey took a start, he could feel his tension rise, even when he slept, he could sense that there was still that aura of vigilance. It wasn't normal for his partner to be so uneasy every second, sure he was a vigilant person back on earth but he had a reason, here it seemed that he was more on edge than normal.

"Oi, Cap." Daisuke said lazily. "Have you gotten Kudamon to digivolve? I mean Kudamon can Digivolve into Sleipmon if you raise him right."

Kudamon felt that he had to respond this one, for his partner continued hiking down the somewhat steep hill, paying no mind to questions that came to him. "I can Digivolve to the ultimate level."

"Is that all?" Daisuke asked mockingly. "If you were my partner I would have raised you to Mega already."

"Please." Rika scoffed. "You couldn't raise yourself, let alone a Digimon. Loser."

"Don't listen to her." Takato said through Daisuke's deadly death glare. "I'm sure you'll make a decent tamer."

"Said the other loser." Rika retorted nonchalantly.

"Shut it!" Both of them snapped.

He sighed and continued to walk, ignoring the ongoing bickering between the tamers. He wondered how such children held the fate of an entire dimension in their hands, they were so childish, even Yoshino showed to be more disciplined than even Taichi, and she was mentored by Roy. He wondered if being trained by the Digital Guardians personally was a better choice. But then again, Roy was a tad different with Yoshino, almost as if he cared for her under all his crude and harsh words.

"Hold it!"

The Captain stopped at the voice, halting the group that followed him behind. He looked up at a sharp peek to find a strange Digimon standing perfectly still a grin on his face. The Digimon had evil features, and his grin easily giving away his demonic intentions.

"That's... Phelesmon." Rika announced calmly. "He's a weak Digimon who's only ability is to grant the wishes of the weak, his main attacks are Demon Shout and Black Statue, pathetic considering that he's an ultimate."

Satsuma continued to glare at the Digimon who leaped down across their path, slightly surprised by Rika's knowledge on the Digimon. "What do you want." He asked calmly, not wanting to trigger an attack from the Digimon who held a threatening pitchfork and a fire ball ready on his hand.

"It's the Kaiser's orders that no one crosses these mountains without his permission. Now, turn around and leave, you are not allowed in the Kaze Desert." The Digimon ordered pointing his weapon back at the trail they came from. "that is what I would normally say but to mention the fact that you are all wanted dead or alive by our master."

He watched a Drimogemon unearth himself and a Unimon descend from the clouds. He noticed that they had a peculiar item on their horns, something that gave off an evil vibe. He knew Unimon and Drimogemon very well, it was some of the Digimon that the Digital Guardians helped him understand, like their week points. But he was more concerned about the spiral like item on the horns and the ultimate level Digimon itself. He had never seen a Phelesmon before, nor had the Digital Guardians mentioned this Digimon, or perhaps Rika was right and this Digimon was to weak to even mention.

"Let us pass, we don't want any trouble." Kudamon offered calmly once again.

"Well you should have thought about that when you decided to cross the Kaiser... Go! Drimogemon! Unimon!" The demon ordered.

Calmly Satsuma endured his fist as Kudamon elegantly and swiftly leaped forward and away from him. With his fist tightened he summoned forth the special aura known to everyone as simply Digisoul, before anyone else could react to the two lunging Digimon.

"Digisoul Charge! Full Charge" He struck his Digivice with the wave of energy and blinded the three opposing Digimon. The light dimmed away in less than two seconds to reveal Qilinmon. "Aim for their horns!" Satsuma ordered.

"Shippuu Tenshou Ken" At lightning speeds, Qilinmon dashed his horn at the unnatural coils, but surprised to see that his attack had no effect on them.

"Ha-ha!" The demonic Digimon laughed mockingly. "Only the Digidestined or those chosen by the Digidestined can remove my Kaiser's Dark Spirals."

Satsuma narrowed his eyes and whipped around to the stunned faces of the chosen children, even Rika who was slightly taken aback by what had just transpired. "Come on, what are you waiting for?" He scolded.

Hikari slightly winced at the order. "Right, Gatomon. Go!"

Gatomon rushed to Qilinmon's and faced the three opposing Digimon. "Ready?" The white feline asked the exalted beast. Nodding both Digimon took into action and battled the three threatening Digimon.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" He inquired to the children who stood awestricken by the battle. "This is your time!" He said to the Digimon.

"Ehh... Takatomon said not to fight." Guilmon said innocently.

"Well he won't need to." Miyako stepped in. "Halsemon and I will help."

He watched her pull out a card from out of the holster that was held on to the strap of her bag, this was the first time he was going to see this type of Human/Digimon tactics.

"Card Slash!... Digi-Egg of Love, Activate!"

He watched Hawkmon take to the air only to have a bright orb cover his body and shatter in less time it took Kudamon to Digivolve; Halsemon was already soaring through the skies alongside Qilinmon to fight Unimon and Phelesmon. He wondered why Guilmon said that Takato told him not to fight, it was kinda strange to see a Digimon like that, especially one tamed by someone who learned about Digimon through the cards and show, act like that.

"Please. This isn't even a fight that deserves my attention." Rika said crossing her arms, her partner doing the same.

Satsuma said nothing else and averted his attention to the battle. He knew why even Hikari was slightly struck by shock. He had never shown his battle side and this was a first for them and him... for a while. But he wondered about the Dark Spiral that Phelesmon mentioned, were they the ones that Pandamon spoke to them about; the unholy coils of the Digimon Kaiser? He had a sinking feeling that they were.

"Lightning Paw!" Gatomon delivered a crushing blow to the coil enticing Drimogemon. Shattering it into nothing but dust.

"It... It was shattered?" Phelesemon stammered as he watched Drimogemon collapse on the rocky ground.

"Eagle Eye!" Two beams from Halsemon's eyes made contact with Unimon's own Dark Spiral and completely erased it from the Digimon's head.

"I... It can't be!" Phelesmon shouted and faced the two airborne Digimon.

Satsuma wondered what was it that the Digimon feared most, the fact that he was outnumbered or the fact that he was up against two of the Digidestined... "What?" He asked himself remembering that only Hikari was among the Digidestined and the others were simply labeled as Tamers. Why was Miyako able to destroy Unimon's Dark Spiral.

"What are the Dark Spirals for!" Qilinmon demanded a response from the devilish Digimon.

The Digimon chuckled evilly and dropped down to face the captain.

Satsuma was not fazed or even threatened by the demonic Digimon, and the fact that both Halsemon and Qilinmon anticipated his movement gave him assurance that the children were safe as well. "Well?"

"Because you beat me, I'll tell you." The Digimon said much to his surprise. "The kaiser has deemed all Digimon who oppose our cause, as traitors, but since he has a big heart because he _is_ one of the Digidestined, he created the Dark Spirals. That way he could refrain himself from destroying any bystanders."

He remained quiet and allowed the others to express their dissenting feelings on the Kaiser's cruel tactics and methods. However, nothing came from the group of children. Turning his body he saw that most of them had the words stunned out of them, Rika holding her own with a cold glare and Miyako glaring at the Digimon, almost as if she already knew what was going on the whole time.

"Now, if you don't mind me, I'll be leaving now." The Digimon said taking to the sky. "Next time I won't underestimate you!"

The laughter of the Digimon was left, echoing further into the mountain range for all to hear. Sighing he faced the stunned Digidestined. How much really was the Digimon holding back, and how would have the children handled themselves without him in the near future when they were going to have to return and deal with this problem. "We have to continue." He decided that he was going to need to talk to the Digital Guardians about this, it was something that begged an explanation.

"What about the Digimon." Henry asked.

His shades faced the downed Digimon, they seemed okay and looked as if they were going to come any second too.

"Let's leave them." Miyako said. "If they were influenced by the Dark Spirals, it's possible that they might want to attack us after they wake up. I know it's kinda wrong, but I don't like getting fired at."

"Very well, let's move. Lalamon, retrace the signal, now." He ordered without waiting for a second opinion. He had not seen patrols until now, and this suddenly made him want to find Iori much faster before any of these henchmen got to him first.

"Ehh..."

Something wasn't right, as far as he knew, Lalamon never hesitated when it came to readings, it was part of her 'I can do it all' motto.

"What's wrong?" Yoshino asked.

"They're right below us."

A tremor followed her words followed by the eruption of the ground a few feet ahead of them. The ground shook violently, but he had seen worst, much worst. A puff of dust was lifted into the air and scraps of rock pelted his shades and face as the captain of DATS stood strong without flinching. He saw a peculiar shadow from withing the shadows, a familiar one to him.

"Howdy." A tall yellow Digimon greeted. He had drills for hands and had a devious drill for a snout as well. "Guess we're late for the party."

A small boy poked out from the Digimon's back and waved at them. "Hey! Miyako, Daisuke!" He hollered.

That was him, Iori, the missing child. Smiling, he followed the children who raced towards Iori and the Digimon. The mission was a success, accomplished with sufficient time to return and give the children a well deserved rest. But he wondered who that tall Digimon that revealed himself from the hard road, was.

"Is that your partner Digimon?" He heard Takato ask with enthusiasm.

"Yeah, me and Armadillomon make quite a team... I mean, Digmon."

The capt. narrowed his eyes, this kid had just gone missing found his partner and already leveled him up. He remembered the trouble and time it took Yoshino to help Lalamon to the next level. How was it that a simple child who had basically no knowledge – according to Miyako's statements – already have gotten their partner to such a level. _'It can't be because he's one of the Digidestined... the Digital Guardians would have notified me about this.'_

"Hello." The kid snapped him out of his thoughts. "I'm Iori. Hida Iori, pleased to meet you."

"Satsuma." He returned politely. Though he was slightly taken aback by his courtesy.

Rika scoffed. "Yeah right." Apparently she was behind him and one of the only ones who didn't greet Iori. "That's your partner? How pathetic"

"If you don't have nothing good to say, just be quiet." Miyako snapped. "That's Rika, remember her, Iori?"

Satusma glanced at cold girl besides him, wondering what was really her story. She had refused to talk to him about how she came to be in the Digital Universe or what happened. She didn't even give her name to anyone she came across, everyone just knew her, they didn't need to be briefed about her. It only made him wonder how good of a 'tamer' she was. He sighed, knowing how cold and short-tempered the girl was, he was going to find out, but for the time being they needed to focus on getting back. "Right, we must get going."

"...Actually, I wanted to see d'Arcmon about something." Iori announced.

"Yeah, and now that Iori's here, I can start looking for my partner." Daisuke said.

Satsuma stared at both boys, but their time was up, sure they had a good two hours, but they had to return for school tomorrow and he still had to talk to Daisuke and Iori about the confidentiality that came with being a 'real' Digimon tamer. "I apologize, but we must return to earth."

"What about what d'Arcmon said about this being their choice?" Miyako reminded him, a glare crossing her face. "You can't just tell them to up and go."

"I understand what d'Arcmon said, but we're running out of time and you kids have to be home before it gets any later." He said glancing at the time on his Digivice. "We've got an hour before the sun sets on earth, we should use this time to get back."

"Ehh... Captain." Came Takato's somewhat worried voice. "How exactly are we going to get back?"

"Simple." Yoshino chirped. "Hikari's Digivice has the ability to let us travel between dimensions, but we must return to the point of entry to do so." She suddenly turned to Daisuke, already wincing at the loud protest the kid would put up... but it never came. She glanced at him tentatively. "You're... okay with this?"

Daisuke shrugged. "I really want to look for my partner... but I guess going home would be nice. I haven't eaten anything since I've been here."

Miyako arched a brow. "What are you talking about, you basically ate everything I had!"

"Yeah, whatever, that was barely food. I'm talking about pizza, hamburgers, you know the usual stuff." Daisuke said, his mouth going watery with each passing second.

Narrowing his eyes, Satsuma wondered what had brought about the sudden change in Daisuke's attitude. The night before he was set on searching for his partner, regardless of what he said. "Very well, let's return to the Ice Area." He was going to keep an eye on Daisuke, he knew there was more to him than he led on.

Leaving behind the passed out Digimon who were formerly brainwashed, the team set their sights back on heading home. Leaving Satsuma the cluster of humans to wonder more about the dark spirals and why it was that only the Digidestined were capable of undoing the mind seal of the Digimon Kaiser.

x-x

Taichi rested at ease on his couch with the TV running some nonsense that he wasn't watching. His books and notes were scattered all over the living room table accompanied by empty glasses of orange juice and several other snacks. His mind was at ease, he had received an E-Mail from his sister indicating that they had found the missing characters. Now there was only a few worried on his mind.

"Ey, how's it going with your math homework, mate?"

Taichi winced at the voice of his guest. Normally any person would have taken him with open arms to their home, but Taichi had the misfortune of getting to know the obnoxious teenager known as Roy, in his once quiet and humble abode.

"I thought you were still sleeping."

Roy responded with a lazy yawn. "I know, but the stupid light woke me up. You really need to get thicker curtains for your room."

"Yeah, I'll tell my mom that you said that."

"So... how's it going with your homework?" Roy asked again.

"Okay."

"How's School?"

"Good."

"Are you healthy?

"Yes... mother"

"How are things with Sora?"

He arched a brow at him. "I think that's a little personal."

Roy nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I completely understand... So... how's she?" He asked causing Taichi to slip off his comfortable couch. "Have you two played hokey-pokey yet?"

"SHUT UP!" Taichi shouted, flustered and embarrassed. "Look, why don't you go and help yourself to something in the fridge."

"Not hungry yet."

Taichi's frown deepened he could feel himself go redder and the grin on the dark blue eyed Brit wasn't helping. "You... You... How does DATS put up with you!"

"Look there's something you are going to have to remember. I'm just the token British guy that asks really uncomfortable questions, puts you on the spot, and objects against anything you say."

"What?"

"Never mind."

Taichi shook his head, he wasn't going to play Roy's mind games. Although he wondered how DATS and the others managed to put up with his intensive shrewish. He sighed, now he was stuck with him because he did something to piss of the other DATS agents. "Well since I have you here... How's Teeks been? Have you heard from him lately?"

"Junior? Well... in case you haven't noticed we've been traveling the world a lot. Keeping in touch with Junior isn't the first thing that comes to mind, besides, I think the stud is busy all the American girls that have been asking him out."

"Takeru isn't like that." If there was one thing Taichi knew about Takeru, it was that he was loyal to a single person. He wasn't one to chase tale like a mindless idiot.

"Yeah... at some point I knew, junior rejects them one by one, I actually think he's gay."

Taichi couldn't help but laugh at that, as did Roy. It was very clear to them both that the two had a thing for each other... though in different perspectives. Taichi trusted Takeru, he knew that Takeru would protect his sister if he was ever absent in her life, he knew that Takeru liked, if not, loved his sister in more that a 'best friend' type of way. Since the two were young he could see that spark that ignited whenever the two were together, and even in their last get together, which was when the Rainbow Seal went up, he saw it burn stronger than ever, despite the distance that kept them apart.

Roy however saw it as a simple crush, one of those that you had during middle school where you would only get as far as second base... yup his mind was really cynical about the actual term of love, especially between Hikari and Takeru. The same with Taichi and Sora. It was because he didn't understand love and if he didn't understand something, it was most likely that anyone else didn't understand it as well. It was just how his mind worked.

Taichi dried a false tear and inhaled some much needed air. Even though Roy was sometimes... what's the word... pesky, he was sometimes good company to have around.

"Okay, Goggles, how far are you on your Chemistry?" He asked using Taichi's nickname.

"Ehh... good." He said nervously.

"You've not gotten a clue, huh."

Taichi sweat dropped and sighed. "Ok, ok. This is a lot harder than I thought, but I have a test tomorrow and I still don't get this."

"I see... well good luck with that." Roy up and made his way to the fridge.

"You're not going to help me? You're smart, you have to help me!"

"Sorry mate, I'm hungry now, and besides, watching you bust your ass for something as simple as chemistry should keep me entertained for a few hours." With a apple and watermelon on his hands, he grinned at the glaring chosen child of courage. "Ahhh. This is the type of suffering that I enjoy." Roy sighed as he sunk next to Taichi, a smug and cheeky grin making Taichi burn with anger.

"Sadist." Taichi muttered.

x-x

Elsewhere. Phelesmon returned to the base of the master he followed loyally. He was on one knee and pushing his fear away that was triggered by his failure.

"Hello Phelesmon."

"S... Stingmon... Where... where is Ryo?" Phelesmon asked, his eyes induced with fear.

"He is of no concern to you." Stingmon stated calmly.

Phelesmon staggered a few steps back a away from the Champion level assassin. "No... I've been loyal to... You can't do this to me!"

Stingmon's eyes fell to the dark and cold steel, his reflection showing a evil monster, not a Digimon, but a monster. _'what was that?'_ he asked himself raising his glare at the petrified Phelesmon. "You've disappointed my master, therefore he ordered me to liquidate the failure."

Phelesmon watched the Digimon calmly and slowly walk towards him. He had seen this before, Stingmon's tactics were not a uncommon sight for him, he would stay calm to give his victims a false sense of hope for survival before eliminating them in a second. Sure Stingmon was a champion level Digimon, but his power and skills exceeded plenty of champions and even some ultimate. He was baffled but it was also no surprise since the Kaiser was one of the Digidestined. No even if Stingmon was the partner of one of the Digidestined, he wasn't going to die like this " Demon... Sh... Shout" A thrust followed by a sharp pain he looked down to see Stingmon's sharp blade impaling him from his spine. He slowly twirled around to see Stingmon behind him.

"Sorry." Stingmon whispered and removed his blade from Phelesmon's body. He watched the demon digimon fall to his knees and deteriorate to bits of data before his body hit the ground.

Stingmon watched his victim's data flicker into nothingness. It was so easy for him to do this before, but why did he question this one? Maybe it was because Phelesmon was actually loyal to his master, or the fact that he himself was finally realizing that the deep feeling that stirred inside him was his guilt. Since he awoke to Ken, he remembered muttering the words 'My master, I am yours to command' those unbelievable words that he had not questioned until now.

_'what is wrong with me? Why do I feel like this?'_

* * *

Well that seems like a decent place to leave off in. Review and lemmy know what you think, and pardon me for any typos I might have left... I had to reupload this chapter cause something was up with this. Hopefully the reupload has no errors... I'm too lazy to recheck it.


	10. Perfect Timing

Digital Revolutions: Corruption Of Minds

Chapter 10

Disclaimer – I don't own Digimon or anything I mention in this story that is worth mentioning.

_**S)=Reviews=(Ƨ**_

**Omega** – Lazy ass? For your information I've finished it... I ain't as good as you are in the coloring so bare with me. Thanks, I like it too, and thanks for the hook-ups.

**Aero** – I know, it was rather annoying. And did you hear about that other earthquake that hit? Sounds like things are going to get worst before they get better. Oh and about Megidramon I am going to be posting it up soon, I'm going to let Omega and several other guys check it out before I post it up, kay.

**KakiTenshi** – Gomen, I'm sorry for the lag. And it's not Ryo calling him Junior, it's the OC Roy... I think I may have made a typo... any who, the junior remark will be explained later.

**TogetherAgain** – Thanks and sorry for the lag... I had a small mishap...

A/N: Hello everyone... Sorry for the lag again... There have been countless things which have kept me busy and I couldn't really write or update as much. I've also been having a bit of a writer's block so that's not good either... Well here's the next chapter to you guys. And thanks for being patient... also I've been holding off because I've been improving on my artistic skills.

_A very small degree of hope is sufficient to cause the birth of love._  
- Stendhal

* * *

_Perfect Timing_

**-x-x-**

**Hikari Kamiya...** She's a normal selfless girl of the seventh grade and a regular average student at her school with the most engulfing and spellcasting pair of crimson eyes one would ever see. Their soothing shine reflecting her kindness and giving her a grace of hope...

Hope...

It radiated from her smiles and the way she looked at everyone. It was difficult to be mad at her, let alone dislike her.

However, underneath all that was normal... she hid a secret – multiple actually. She was a chosen child known as the Digidestined, wielding the holiest of the crests; the crest of light. But under her hopeful exterior... denial hibernated undetected by anyone except her counter part; the mysterious wielder of darkness. In a way it made sense, the nightmares she was having were anything but normal. All of them reflecting atrocious acts of evil that continued to shake her in fear every night.

She stared at herself in her bedroom mirror. It was another sleepless night, cold sweat running down her shaky body and her sleepwear clinging to her body.

"It happened again... didn't it." Gatomon said, quietly jumping atop her dresser. "I thought you said they stopped."

"I thought they did... but this one was the worst one yet."

"Have you told Tai?"

She shook her head. "He doesn't need to know, he's busy enough as it is. Besides... it's just a dream."

"But it's not just a 'dream'. What if has to do with something in the Digital World?"

Tears slowly filled her crimson eyes, was this all she had to look forward as the unwilling queen. Nightmares that she couldn't even bring herself to describe? "I need something to drink."

Gatomon sighed and followed her partner out of the room. "You can't just avoid it. What if there's more to your dreams than you think?"

Hikari opened the refrigerator and stopped allowing the cold air subdue her back to the fragments of her nightmares. It was nearly the same. She was barefoot in a place wearing exactly what she wore, the lack of evil Digimon and darkness made her sudden flashback numbed her less in fear, but still the foul vision of it was enough to make her shiver. She finally allowed the dam in her eyes to break and allow the mounted tears to flow down.

_'why won't you let me help you?'_ Gatomon wondered as she watched her partner cry quietly. She had seen her go through sleepless nights before, but this was the first time she saw her cry. It only made her wonder what type of horrid dreams tormented her.

Down the quiet dark hall and in the living room was the house guest, who had unwillingly listened to the whole thing.

Royce 'Roy Belanger; wielder of the crest of darkness, and a exact opposite to Hikari, but had a similar way to control the darkness in him like Hikari did to control her own. He was never nice or gentle, he hardly demonstrated kindness and whenever provoked, he would show the atrocities that his darkness held. However, for some reason, something inside him didn't allow him to express his darkness on her. But what baffled him even more was the fact that he could stand to see her sad or cry, to him it was like grinding nails on a chalkboard or being stabbed...

He knew why she was sad. He had overdone himself for trying to control the darkness that the scale of light and darkness was sent on a frenzy. All because of his slowly growing addiction towards the darkness... the adrenaline was a feeling he had never felt... the only thing that made him feel human anymore...

He buried himself deeper into the couch, and in the blankets, squinting his eyes shut. "... I'm sorry for overdoing it... You'll be better by tomorrow... I promise."

**-x-**

Morning came and Rika was already up and ready for school. It was a miracle that they were going to allow her to return to school even with the missing days that were unaccounted for. Previous before her current school, it was all her Digimon taming that cost her the admission of the private school she once attended. The only school that seemed to tolerate her truant actions was this public one.

She had gone to her first class like normal and her teachers, nor the counselors, ask about where she was. She sat in her chair, staring at the blackboard in the front. _'those guys must have had something to do with it.' _She sighed and glanced at Daisuke next to her. If she'd care, she'd ask him why he looked like crap. His eyes were strained and he was dumber than usual. Almost as if he hadn't slept for days.

She didn't know what snapped inside her to make her speak her mind. "You look like crap."

"Hmm?" She had only seen him from the side, he looked much worst. "Really? That's the nicest thing you've said to me so far."

She blushed scolding her lack of control for that brief second. "What?"

"It's good to see that you've actually noticed me other than the 'loser' today."

Rika narrowed her eyes at him. "You're right. You're just a crappy loser now."

Daisuke shrugged it away nonchalantly. "Say what you want, but you actually noticed this crappy loser."

"Makino! Motomiya!" Mr. Fujiyama scolded. "Pay attention!"

Rika faced down, red in embarrassment. _'great, now he's humiliating me in public.'_ She sneered. But part of her wondered why she actually noticed that little thing from the spiky goggle-head whom she didn't like at all.

She averted her eyes to the window where the buildings covered most of everything outside, like a fort protected by a dull barrier that closely resembled the image she had for her heart. There was barely a view. But still she didn't need the magical forest or harsh deserts from the digital world, she knew that the challenge was out there, hiding. A part of her wanted to go out and ensnare the recent emerging Digimon in battle. But she had outgrown her need to challenge any random Digimon. With her partner finally able to reach the Champion Level.

But even normal champions were not enough to satisfy her anymore... not since her encounter with Ryo and Cyberdramon. Oh, how she longed for a repeat of a challenge like that. It was just the data she needed to push Renamon passed her Champion form. But since her run in with the DATS guys she hadn't had a challenge yet. Although her eyes were on the man partner to the Kudamon. She got to see what that Digimon was capable of in battle, Renamon and herself could not help but notice that he was holding back during battle.

Her classes lasted for what seemed an eternity, and it didn't help that people kept nagging at her about her little escapade. She roamed the halls, rubbing shoulders with her peers after the last bell, wondering why were all the Tamers she knew so reluctant to fight. She thought that it was because Takato and Henry were both cowards, but even Satsuma, who was a full grown man with a short fuse, refused to fight her. At first she thought it was fear, but when she looked into each and everyone's eyes, she saw no fear... only pity.

She grimaced bitterly. She didn't need their pity, she needed a challenge. A challenge that was promised to her and not fully kept.

However... being back home relieved her a bit. She had actually missed her mother... but she had seen her mother in _that_ light. The role of a caring mother was somewhat rare and she had finally seen her act like one when she showed herself back home.

With that image running through her mind, she decided to head for the park, maybe that would help steady the multiple things she was feeling. She rested on a bench overlooking the playground, her eyes shut and her mind trying to regain control of her emotions. She was angry, remorseful, and confused.

"Are you okay, Rika?" came Renamon's voice from the shadows. But the silence from her partner was enough for her to know that something was troubling her, something that even she didn't know. Rika had been like so since their return from the Digital World.

"Rika?"

"Hmm?" Her eyes met a group of people approaching her, the group of other 'Tamers' that she was told about. She buried all her confusion deep inside and stood up and greeted them with a cold glare. "What do you want?"

"Hi to you too." Taichi greeted with his trademark cheerful grin. He was only slightly bothered by the hothead Rika since he had heard about her from his sister and Daisuke. "We're glad you decided to come."

She arched a brow. "Come? Come to what?"

"I guess you really weren't listening." Takato muttered. "We talked about meeting here when we came back, remember? So if you didn't pay attention, what are you doing here?"

She darted a death glare at Takato. "It's none of your business."

"Well since you're here why don't you join us." Koushiro offered hoping to make the adamant Rika, reconsider. "Who knows, you might learn something."

"Please, what can you teach me? How to say no and be coward. Unless you can give me a good fight, don't even bother me."

"Okay, I tell you what." Taichi walked up to her a grin playing on his face more so than his usual one. "If you come along... I'll give you that fight."

"What?" The other said in unison. Shocked at what rash offer came out of the bearer of courage's mouth.

Rika smirked at him smugly. "Even if I said yes, what makes you think you could be any match for me?"

Taichi placed his finger on his chin. "Hmm... Well I take it that you haven't gotten Renamon passed the Champion level, whereas I have gotten Agumon to the Mega."

Rika scowled at the other goggle head's accurateness. He already had knowledge on her and she didn't. It made her wonder what else these Tamers knew about her and Renamon. She overheard from Hikari that since they set up some sort of protective barrier around the Digital World, they had lost the ability to evolve their partners to the Ultimate and Mega Levels. But this was the first time she met the person who was partnered to one of the Mega Level Digimon that made Omegamon.

"...Although... since we beat Apocalymon and gave up our crests to protect Harmony, Agumon can't Digivolve pass the Champion Level anymore."

Her stare dropped and reluctantly Rika said. "Okay... I'll be looking forward to it."

His smirk turned to a smile. "I'll do my best kiddo." and walked ahead to the rendezvous.

Ignoring that last comment Rika followed him. She knew that everyone was staring at her, most of all Henry and Takato. It was bothering her, but she didn't want to show them that she was irritated or even fazed by them or anyone else.

They arrived on a flat piece of green land and rested underneath the shade of a tree. With Hikari being the only one who Rika actually knew and wasn't a pain, she sat next to her and her brother who promised her a good fight. There was a silence among the more eldest Tamers and it annoyed Rika to see that she was dragged here to watch them relax. "Are you just going to sit on your butts and look at the sky all day?" She saw that they weren't bothered by her at all.

"Yeah... you're right." Koushiro pulled out his laptop almost as if waiting for someone to trigger him. "Pardon that, it's just that we don't really have a lot of free time now in days... but let's start with the main reason we're here; you guys."

"Who us?" Takato said pointing at himself. "What do we have to do with anything?"

"Yeah, and why isn't Daisuke here?" Henry asked, noticing that it was somewhat quieter.

"Well Daisuke is grounded. And we just wanted to get to know you guys a little better." Joe explained, a friendly smile showing his intentions.

Chatter filled the park and quickly Takato and Henry began to open up. However Rika just stared at them, she wondered how easy it was to talk yet at the same time it was so difficult to start a conversation that wasn't just idle chit-chat. She barely knew anyone in the group and those she did know, disliked her for being the strong person she was. It also puzzled her how people like them could strike up a conversation so easily without getting too personal yet getting to know someone.

"So Rika, why are you so into fighting?" Yamato asked.

"Hmm?" Rika hummed absentmindedly. "What...? Why? Because, what else are Digimon suppose to do? I'm the best Tamer around and Renamon wanted a strong partner to help her Digivolve."

"Well that makes sense." Yamato said casually.

She looked at him, she was expecting some sort of lecture from the older more serious tamers, instead she got something else entirely. "It... It..."

"It does?" Miyako interjected. "Why? I mean how?"

Yamato leaned back on the soft grass and sighed at ease. "Well if both of you want to fight and grow stronger, that's enough reason for it to make sense because you're both on the same page. I learned that from MetalGarurumon... But from what I heard from Takato and Henry, you tend to pick on any Digimon even if it's weaker. Is that right Rika?" He saw her head drop which was more than an answer for him.

She didn't know why, but it actually made her feel bad. She had heard it all from Takato, Miyako, and most of all Henry. Why did it bother her more now. Was it because she was being looked down upon by another Tamer? That wasn't the case with Takato.

"By the way, where are your partners?" Sora asked the Tamers.

"Oh... They're around." Takato answered. "Don't worry, they know that they have to stay out of sight."

"Well you've done well in teaching them to do so." Koushiro complimented. "I've found a file of Guilmon on my Digimon Analyzer and I'm rather baffled that you've actually tamed him."

"What's so hard to believe?" Takato asked. "Wait... you found something on him?"

Koushiro nodded, his eyes glued to his Laptop screen. "Guilmon was thought to be an untamed Digimon who was reckless and very powerful. But because of it's recklessness and it's desire to fight, they became extinct, because they would do combat with Digimon much out of their level. They also represent the Digital Hazard." He stated aloud as he read the passage in his laptop. "Should one ever reach the Mega Level... the results could end in a meltdown..."

"... that's impossible... I... I created him..."

"Maybe you did... According to the archives of data from the Digital Guardians, only one at the Mega Levels is left alive and kept under surveillance..."

Rika stared at the flabbergasted Takato, she had wondered why she couldn't get any information the first time she met Guilmon and now she knew why; he was almost nonexistent. It also explained why Guilmon sometimes ignored the goggle head in battle and why he was uncommonly strong for a rookie.

"Give it a rest." Taichi's exasperation turned heads to him and rose anger in some.

"What do you mean? This is crucial!"

"Look you said it yourself, Takato tamed Guilmon. Therefore it's pointless to stress over that." He said calmly now. "Isn't that right, Rika?"

Rika stared at her and wonder why the two who stood out most from the group were being so pleasant with her. It was obvious by Miyako's reaction to Yamato that he was popular in someways, and Taichi was the proclaimed leader of the 'Digidestined', and both of them had contributed to create Omegamon; she knew that much. But what she didn't know was where all this friendly warmness was coming from. "Right..." She answered, almost whispering.

Koushiro sighed and smiled. "Well... You're right, it's nothing that we can't handle, should the worst happen. Don't worry about it Takato, I've seen the way Guilmon reacts to you and he's nothing like the analyzer describes him."

Takato smiled in relief a little. Apparently hearing that reassurance from the genius of the group was enough.

Rika remained silent and wondered why the words of both Yamato and Taichi stung her more than both Takato or Henry's. She wasn't in anyway intimidated by the fact that the two had partners that were experienced Megas at once. She didn't understand but she actually felt a sense of humility when Yamato asked her if she was fighting weaker Digimon before. However, allowing that rookie level which she encountered this morning to escape, only made her feel less of a opportunist. And for some reason... she felt good about it.

_**-x-**_

Elsewhere

_**-x-**_

Daisuke walked home in defeat, his shoulders slumped and his eyes no longer flashing that sense of cheeriness and happy-go-lucky attitude. He was grounded and even with all his extra chores he had plenty of time to kill (Not on homework though). But what good was time since he couldn't go out with his friends or so much as watch television because his sister was always around to make his punishment extra hellish.

But despite that god-awful penalty, there was compensation in the torture he was given. A very special guest waited patiently in his room.

He hurried back home and to his room. His act of depression was good, even Hikari fell for it when he saw her this morning, although his lack of sleep sure made him look like hell – or crap, as Rika put it. "Hey... are you in here?" He whispered, looking under his bet for his visitor.

"Yeah, these are delicious!" There he was. A small cerulean Digimon with a V on his forehead, chowing down on Daisuke's deserts like no tomorrow. With a final chomp, the Digimon jolted out from under the bed. "What's next?"

Daisuke smiled and stood up to undress himself and take a much needed bath. Veemon. That was the name of the Digimon which he encountered in the morning while throwing out the trash. "Come out, you're kinda smelly so let's get cleaned up."

"Kay." He wobbled out from under the bed.

Daisuke and Veemon casually strolled down to the bathroom knowing full well that his sister was watching the soaps. It was for that one hour that he got peace from her. _'I love that chummy crap'_

Warm water ran down his body, his mind drifting to the words that d'Arcmon spoke. _'your partner is out there, it's up to you to find him or her.'_ His eyes wondered to the small Digimon that played besides him wondering if Veemon was meant to be his partner. He saw that the Digimon was somewhat 'tamed' but Veemon denied being partnered to someone, rather more confused about wondering a world that was strange to him.

Since his passion for Digimon was born, the dream of finding his own partner burned brightly, never dimming, and now this Digimon that played besides him was there. "Hey, Veemon, what would you say if we were to say... team up?"

"Team Up? Well... do you have anymore snacks?"

"...Yeah."

"Then count me in."

Daisuke sighed and carried on with his shower. He had seen the bond that Iori had quickly developed with his partner Digimon, and a bond with Veemon that was held together by pastries and sweets wasn't going to be much of a commitment. But his determination was not dimmed by this, if Veemon wasn't destined to be his partner, then he still had his pass to the Digital World.

It was a fact that was overlooked by DATS and it was his ticket to the Digital World. He figured that because Iori got his Digimon partner, he was already able to return with the Digivice he had received, so there wasn't really anything left for Iori to do in the Digital World. But Daisuke's Digivice was still hollow and even during his stay in the Digital World he managed to journey back home in secrecy. It was because of the Dream Theater side effect that still dwell withing his making. Miyako explained the effects of DT very clearly and what the repercussions could be.

In short terms; Miyako and Iori didn't have to deal with the 'looking for their partners' issue for very long. Which gave Daisuke a free pass to the Digital World every time he fell asleep. Though his trips, even if unwilling, disabled his mind from resting. And he was already feeling the side effects. He couldn't maintain focus for long.

He went back to his room, showered and refreshed, his sister oblivious of his existence. It was getting late, but Daisuke had no intention of resting easy, his mission still remained unaccomplished and because his devotion... or is stubbornness...? any who, he wasn't going to give up just like that.

_**-x-**_

_A couple of 'Z-zzz's later._

**-x-**

After inducing himself in to sleep it didn't take long before his being arrived in the Digital, precisely where he had left off in before he left last time. A simple tree just off the limits of a small Digimon Village in the distance with a pleasantries such as a calm breeze and a sparkling sun reflecting off the freshly watered grass. Again he was wearing the same attire with the shorts and the jacket and thing.

He looked around noticing that Veemon was nowhere around. _'guess that means that I'm the only one affected by this.'_

His journey to the western part of the continent continued. He had hoped that he was going to be able to bring Veemon along but again, he was left in disappointment. Which made him wonder who was his partner in the first place. Was the Digimon suppose to choose him or was was he simply suppose to make with some sort of ritual to actually obtain his partner, and if so, what type? It irritated him that he didn't ask Iori, Rika, or even Miyako about something like this. But it was his own fault and he didn't want to drag Hikari into any problems if he was caught.

He followed a long road through a vast lining of blooming Sakura trees, and the gaps of sparkling greenery and mountains in the Background. It was like a perpetual road that defined a romantic walk. It made him wish that Hikari was next to him, hand in hand in the paradise of this unique route. However a tall and dark tower in the distance of the road clashed with the peace of this particular nirvana.

_'wonder what that could be...'_

He came to a stop at the tall tower that pillared on the roadside and immediately he felt something off about it. It was taller than anything else in the area and it gave off that strange vibe, the one you would get if you were in a lion's den and you knew were open to attack; the pray just waiting to be mauled by the hunters.

But even with that feeling stirring up inside him, Daisuke managed to dig up the memory of something Miyako said. Something about these towers being the essential power tool for the Kaiser to draw out the energy from the land. Like an oil well being sucked dry.

However, it looked like everything was fine. _'maybe it's broken...'_ He wondered staring up at the peak.

But his thoughts were seized by a crunching pressure to his entire body, and dust from the road tasted rich... now that he was faced down on the dirt. Slightly dazed he turned up to see a person standing before him. "H... Hey!" He snapped, still dazed from the impact of the person's tackle. "What the hell was that..."

He hadn't realized it earlier but there were two others in front of the person who had tackled him. Two Digimon to be precise. One he knew very well and the other not so well.

"You should be careful. If I hadn't come along, you would have become Cerberumon's chew toy."

The back of the person who hid under the glare of the sun's light turned, and faced down upon him. Now up close he could see him clearly, his eyes as blue as the skies and his gold hair shining under the light. Daisuke couldn't put it together, but he looked vaguely familiar to someone he met before. He didn't know many people with blond hair and blue eyes other than Yamato. His eyes went wide. "Y...You're..."

"What's wrong Dai? Gatomon's got your tongue?" The blonde joked.

"Enough of this!" Cerberumon growled. "Emerald Blaze!"

The other Digimon took to the skies and evaded the scorching flames. Daisuke watched as the blonde calmly reach for his pocket and pulled out a card and his Digivice. _'that's the other Digivice... like Rika's.'_

"Card Slash!" He howled. "MetalGarurumon's Cocytus Breath activate!"

With a sudden burst of ice Cerberumon was frozen solid, the Digimon's flames overpowered by powerful might of ice.

"Come, let's get out of here, it won't take long before he gets out."

Daisuke couldn't believe what he saw. MetalGarurumon was another rare card indeed, but that wasn't the root of his confusion. This person, was partnered to a Digimon who he had never seen before in the card game and the way he handled the horse-like Digimon. This person was the person he met four years ago, the one who got all chummy with _his_ Hikari.

Takeru Takaishi.

* * *

Well this seems like a good place to end the story. Next one was suppose to be something I was going to plan to release of February but I had to push it back to fill in the plot holes. Please feel free to scold me for lagging it. Truth is that reading Fanfics and Mangas as well as work and other things.


	11. Panic Switch

**Digital Revolutions: Corruption Of Minds**  
**Chapter 11**

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Digimon and all creations of art belong to the Phixer Brigade.

_¤*~Reviews~*¤_

**Aero**: Sorry about the delay on your Megidramon, and I think Omega already told you what happened (That loud mouth o_O) so I think I am going to delay on that until I get better, Now that I look at it my drawing was much worse than I thought... Time to get better.

_Omega_: You would suck as a spy. -_-. Nevertheless I am taking it slow this time, you can't rush art.

**KakiTenshi**: Forgive me, I was tired when I finished the chapter then several things happened... Sorry.

**A/N**: I am still learning how things work in Japan, and I must say that they are different, so please bear with me.

Any who, sorry for the lag... again. I've been busy with the art for this fic and I can't seem to get it done to my liking. Also, I've been having a writer's block. Also I've been wanting to get better at drawing and I've been thinking of putting this fic on a hiatus. But I dunno if I should, I promised that I would finish this and I want to, I still have a lot of content to add, but on the other hand I want to give more to the Digimon World other than fics. What do you guys think I should do?

If your looking to pass the time while my lame butt lags to update, I recommend reading some mangas. Two tittles that come up from my mind quickly are '**The World God Only Knows**' and '**Bleach**'. Or if you like Shoujo Mangas. '_**Watashi ni xx Shinasai**_' is something worth reading as well as '_**Dengeki Daisy**_'. (For those who don't know; Shoujo means 'Girl Mangas'... I read these because they were recommended to me by some friends... needless to say that they are pretty good.)

_A weakness is a source of motivation for greatness. One's weakness must never be denied but instead embraced._  
- Something that popped out of my head.

_Panic Switch_

_-x-_

* * *

**With a final shower** of stars, the Pegasus Digimon shattered the dark coil that held the wild Cerberumon's mind in captivity. Sparing it's life, the opposing Digimon allowed it to flee. Cerberumon was a competitor, having broken the ice that held him and chased them down and forced them to fight.

On the hard earth and in awe, Daisuke Motomiya, the partner-less Tamer, watched the horse with wings regress into a smaller and cute Digimon. 'Patamon.'

"What's wrong Dai?" The blonde who came to his rescue inquired.

"Y... you're a Tamer?" the shaken up teenager asked.

"Tamer? Oh, I guess you can call me something like that..." He answered scratching his head. He wasn't too fond of calling himself the tamer to his best friend. "Do you remember who I am?"

Daisuke shook off any emotion of astonishment and regained composure, dusting himself off in the process. "TP Takeshi, yeah I remember you."

"Ehh... it's TK Takaishi."

"Whatever. How did you get here?" Daisuke asked his tone showing that he was just creating idle chat. "Nah, that's not important. Why are you here? I could have handled that myself."

"Really" The small Digimon flew to his partner's head. "Where's your partner at?"

Daisuke growled at the small rookie Digimon bitterly. "I guess Rika was right – anyone could become a tamer."

"What is that suppose to mean?" Patamon inquired slightly offended. "I resent that you think that I am tamed, like a pet dog or something."

"Relax Patamon." Takeru spoke calmly. "Dai's still a bit new to this and he still hasn't found his partner. It's only logical... that he doesn't have a partner."

Daisuke glared at him, only his friends called him that, or at the very least his classmates, but he remained quiet. After all Takeru was a Tamer and he might be able to give him some pointers as how to get his partner.

"As long as you continue to think that you are superior to everyone, your partner will never reveal itself to you."

"What? I think you're judging me before you know me, Blondie. I don't think that I am superior to everyone, I think you got me mistaken for Rika."

"Rika? Oh yeah, you and Kari's Classmate. Yeah I heard about her – you and Rika are similar in that way."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Think about it... Kari and Tai told me that Rika sees Digimon as nothing but tools to further her own 'taming' abilities. You also want a Digimon partner for a similar reason, I could tell by the way you look and even speak about Digimon."

That was the last straw, Daisuke's anger drove him to Takeru and possessed his hand to grab the blond by the collar of his pale blue shirt. "You better watch what you say."

Takeru sighed and easily got loose from Daisuke's grip. "Okay, come on. Let's go back. Someone's already waiting for us. You overplayed that Dream Theater trick of yours" Takeru headed to his point of entry knowing that a member of DATS was waiting for them patiently on the other side.

x-x

_The Next Day_

x-x

It was a normal day, the skies were clear – with chances of rain at night as reported in the news – and flowers as well as chocolates on sale in this day that many pretended not to care about. Valentine's day roamed over the vast nation of Japan and for once, Takeru was able to spend it in Japan with the people he most cared about.

He sighed and looked up at the sky as he walked to school. It was still rather early and the sun was peeking over the buildings, inching closer to him. It was his first day of school, his first day in Japan after four long years. Yesterday, upon arrival he was met by a DATS member telling him to go meet Daisuke in the Digital World. He did but immediately knew that the things he chose to pass of as 'rumors' to be true. He saw that glare that Daisuke gave him, even after saving him. In a way it made him smile knowing that Daisuke who he had met just for a while, remembered him.

After receiving the schedule for his classes he was accompanied by a Ayumi, the assistant who escorted Daisuke in the same way.

He walked into a classroom to be greeted by a familiar face.

"Ah, TK. Is this my new student Ayumi-san?"

She nodded "I leave him in you care." and left.

It didn't take another glance before he spotted the bitter Daisuke in the back row of the class next to a icy girl who didn't even bother to pay him any attention. He shook that cold feeling away and bowed. "H...hello everyone, I'm Takeru Takaishi, but everyone calls me TK, it's real nice to be in the same class as you all and I hope to do my best."

"I know you will TK. Now since Kari is absent today, you can take her seat and we'll figure out the sitting arrangement tomorrow." Mr. Fujiyama announced. "Seriously though, if they're going to keep sending me more students, they should at least have the decency to send me more chairs and desks."

Walking to his desk, concern bloomed in Takeru, after all... no one knew her better than him. _'it's not normal for her to miss school. She must be sick then...'_

Across the room, Daisuke glared at Takeru in envy. _'Why does he get to sit on Hika's seat when I was posted up here with her'_ he glanced at Rika who gave off a cold breeze every time she met him with her icy chromatic eyes. It made him shiver.

"Now can anyone tell me the diameter of..."

Takeru walked alone to around the campus – School ending early because of Valentine's Day – it was a rather interesting day to say the least. Mr. Fujiyama was still the same old person he was when he was in elementary school. His classmates (Aside from Daisuke and Rika) were very friendly and curious about the fact the he lived in America for a while. However something stirred inside his heart, and it wasn't a good feeling. Ever since his return he felt like that but he thought it was because of Daisuke's cold and dismissive attitude.

He shook it off. It was valentine's day and he wasn't going to waste it treading over the same thoughts the whole day. He reached into his pocket to pull out a small key-chain. It was a small picture frame with a very cherished picture placed inside the festive frame. Around the frame it read 'La amistad da a luz a el amor'. It was something a friend made for him, his first friend in Miami. He told him everything about how he had to leave his hometown because of his mother's job. It was written in Spanish and it translated to 'Friendship gives birth to love'.

It was perfect in a way, it was a way to tell her how he felt without really telling her... yeah... that's kinda confusing. Any who, since it was in Spanish, he was going to let Hikari solve it on her own. Smiling he placed it back in his pocket and aimed his destination to the Kamiya home, to check up why Hikari had not gone to school.

"TK!"

A very familiar and memorable voice called his name. He turned around to face the bold and always happy-go-lucky Taichi. But now a worried expression and earnest atmosphere was given from the leader. "Hi Tai. Long time no see." Takeru tried to greet him commonly but failed. "Is something wrong?"

A couple of seconds went by before Taichi took in a deep breath and sighed. "I guess you really don't know."

"Know what?"

"Kari... Kari's disappeared."

x-x

Elsewhere

x-x

It was another lazy day in Shinjuku park – despite some clouds – the sun glittered through the shield of green from the trees and the park was almost like a lonely graveyard because everyone was either out getting ready for valentine's like most adults or they were getting ready for a dance on their school which was a first for theirs. The unregistered residents of the park did not complain one bit. In plain sight, Takato, Henry, Terriermon and Guilmon ran freely, playing a simple game of tag. However, among the fun-loving foursome, a certain fox Digimon with no intentions of playing with them, studied them from the shadows.

She stood there resting her body against the tree, wondering how was it that both those Digimon who rivaled her have such a carefree spirit. It was strange but a strange feeling rose to the surface of her heart every time she saw them like that. A feeling which she was unfamiliar with.

"Hey, are you sure you're okay?" Takato hollered.

She wondered why the goggle head would ask such questions, it was not like he was her tamer. She did not reply and simply looked away. But, it wasn't too long ago that Rika was constantly asking her that. It was strange that such simple words made her feel happy and how she hadn't heard those words from Rika since their return from the Digital World. How she longed to hear Rika say those words again...

_'Are you okay? You're not hurt are you?'_

She chuckled at a sudden revelation, it was a word and a common one to boot, one that described the feeling that was new to her. "I can't believe it... I'm actually a little envious."

"Renamon?" The fox Digimon winced, lightly startled at the soft voice of the person – the only person she cared about and listened to – It was Rika. "Do... Do you really feel like that?" Rika asked wearing that mask that showed a sense of annoyance and coldness.

The others were far away and no one would be able to hear them, this was a good opportunity. "Y...Yes."

A small blush melted away Rika's cold mask and she met her icy blue eyes with her own. Her face was showing kindness a rare sight that no one had yet to see. "Y... You mean a lot to me Renamon... but if the others found out... they'd call me weak."

"Do you really think so?" Renamon asked. "It was because of your feelings that I was able to Digivolve... It was because of similar reasons that both their partners managed to Digivolve." She pointed at the joyful Digimon and their partners. "Do you really think that they're weak – what is your honest opinion..."

Rika peeked around the tree to see Henry and Takato running around like lunatics. Regardless, it looked like they were having fun with such simple things like running around playing tag. "They look like idiots running like that." were the first words that came out of her mouth, but a small sad smile formed. "But... I get what you mean... It must be great to be able to show off your weakness like that to everyone."

Her voice was wistful and Renamon knew why. Since their unexpected journey to the Digital World, Renamon had heard Rika's stories, stories that made her into the ice cold Digimon queen, stories that revealed a lot of things, stories that made her into the person she was.

Under the light of the Sun, Takato and Henry collapsed on the ground, worn out because of their energetic Digimon. Though tired, they savored the tranquility and peace that had been blessed upon them. For it had been a few days since any Digimon had appeared to wreak havoc on their home.

"Takatomon, I'm hungry." The tall Digimon announced like a hungry child.

"Geez Guilmon, we just ate a hour ago."

"An hour ago? No wonder I'm so hungry."

Takato sighed. "Sorry boy, I don't have anything with me right now, so you'll have to show some of that will power you have."

Guilmon whined in protest but gave in. "Okay..."

Takato smiled, it was days like these that he took for granted before, days where he wished for things like Digimon and battles. Even now his heart was set on becoming stronger without destroying any more Digimon. He glanced at Henry and Terriermon, both were opposites in a way; Terriermon wanted to fight but Henry always opposed the idea.

"Hey Takato?" Henry asked. "Why do you think Rika's here?"

Takato shrugged, he noted Rika's arrival when he tried to talk Renamon into playing with them and it seemed that she thought she was well hidden. "Dunno. But have you noticed how she changed?"

"Yeah, she shines like a star." Terriermon said sardonically, his eyes gleaming with a false sense of awe.

Henry gave him a light jab on his head. "Yeah I noticed that, but how much has she changed?"

Both their minds drifted to the conversation they had with Taichi. He told Takato, Henry, and Rika how much the Digital World changed him and helped him grow up to understand things better. He also mentioned the bitter-sweat memories and the mournful times. The three of them heard the full story of Omegamon and how they came to be the Digidestined.

"_Those adventures with Agumon helped me reflect on my life. Sure there were things that were scary but having courage means that you don't do something because you aren't afraid, it means that you fear something and still do it anyways."_ Were the words of the courageous leader.

x-x

Daisuke sat alone in his room, Takeru's words echoing in his head. It had been like that all day, he couldn't focus on anything (Not that he really did so in the first place). He sat alone in his room and with Veemon eagerly searching his backpack for food. He glanced at the small Digimon as he emerged from the depths of the back pack with his prize in hand; the leftovers from lunch.

Veemon, it was his favorite Digimon in the card game and he was well endowed with plenty of knowledge on the small Digimon. He had rescued Veemon from starvation and it seemed like Veemon had little interest in fighting or becoming stronger, all the small Digimon was intent in doing was eating and playing. In a way it irritated him since Veemon was capable of becoming a pretty strong Digimon and to have him in his room and not being able to partner up with him was just vexing.

"What's wrong?"

Daisuke had not noticed it, but he had been looking at Veemon the entire time. "N-nothing, just thinking."

"Really? About what?"

Daisuke felt a little uncertain about proceeding – since he almost lost his head once to a blast from Guilmon – but he was curious and not the type to care about small stuff like that. "Well I was wondering why you're not interested in fighting."

Veemon stared at him, confused. "Is that it?" The small Digimon asked. "Well I never really think about that – there is no point to fight if I can eat like I do right now."

Daisuke watched Veemon smile, it stupefied him to think that a Digimon didn't like to fight. _'Strange, in the show, Digimon love to fight... so why doesn't someone like Veemon want to...'_ his thoughts came to a halt as he remembered what Takeru told him earlier when he was in the Digital World.

"_You and Rika are the same... You also want a partner for the same reason..."_

He gritted his teeth at the thought, but Guilmon was another example that Digimon didn't only fight. Guilmon had refused to show him a attack which lead him to lying to the pure Digimon who believe him. He fell to his bed and stared at the ceiling wondering what made a Tamer, wondering how someone as cold as Rika and as kind as Hikari could be tamers when both their perspectives and views were completely different.

_'What makes a Tamer?'_

x-x

Murky clouds crept over the heads of the Digidestined, reflecting the mood and current situation. A world without light would be drowned by darkness. Alas other problems had risen as if darkness was declaring war. A rapid increase of hostile Digimon was reported in the planet harmony and it was threatening to spread even beyond the borders that the illusive Digimon Emperor was thought to be restrained to.

The mood was not pleasant at all. Even in the heavy silence, much could be said just by looking at all the Digidestined that were present. However even in this thick atmosphere, Satsuma seemed unfazed.

"As things stand now... we are in critical alert." Satsuma finally spoke. "The Digital Guardians have been frantically trying to locate Ms. Hikari Kamiya, however even they can't seem to find her. But they are doing all they can, and with all of the Digital Guardians looking for her it would be wise if you all went to the Digital World to take care of the problems there."

Worried glances were given at Taichi, because when it came to his sister, Taichi would become a different person. If she was missing and not even the Digital Guardians could find her, it meant that she was in danger, and that always clouded Taichi's judgment, making him aggressive, impulsive and at times ruthless.

But next to him, the blonde who Taichi saw as the only boy who he could trust with Hikari's safety, had adopted a similar reaction. Except his solemn eyes and blank expression didn't reflect any of his true intentions.

"What about the others?" Joe inquired, having taken off time from his studies to help in every way he could. "It would be easier if the others could help."

"We understand but we can't seem to find them. I've sent Yoshino, Megumi, and Miki to look for them and they should be able to assist you as soon as possible."

It tore Takeru in two to know that the Digital World that he and his closest friends had fought so hard to protect was again under siege, but it was also painful to hear that Hikari, his best friend was missing without a trace. He could feel that all eyes were on him, he had just return to a disaster and caught between a difficult decision; protect hundreds of innocent Digimon from a madman's conquest or search for Hikari who had possibly been kidnapped.

"I will lead the squad into the Digital World and hinder any advances from this Digimon Emperor. We will depart immediately."

"That won't work!" From behind everyone, Roy stood unnoticed until now. "If we follow your lead we will never get things done."

"You, since when have you been there?" Taichi inquired rather shocked.

"I have SAS blood in me, there's no way I'm telling you. But I will tell you this. At the rate things are going, if we don't launch a strike to halt them permanently, they will force the Digital Guardians to retaliate."

Permanently. It's meaning and real purpose lingered for a few seconds in silence. "W... What do you mean by permanently?" Miyako feared the answer from the newcomer.

"We must destroy them." There was no sense of remorse or guilt in what he said, in fact his tone was a bit cold. "We can't waste time trying to remove the dark spirals from them and if we fail to hold them off before they breach the continent of light then the Digital Guardians are going to take drastic measurements, they'll stop searching for Hikari to protect the only safe zone in the Digital Universe."

With driving him, Taichi lunged himself at Roy and grabbed him by the collar. "This sounds like another one of those test."

Roy didn't respond like Taichi was expecting, instead he chuckled. "What makes you think I know. I am just the messenger, I just do my job."

With the help of Sora and Yamato, Taichi cooled down and released him. Ever since Roy 'became' the messenger of the Digital Guardians a year ago, Taichi had his doubts about him and the truth. Roy wasn't actually a person to come out with the truth immediately, all he cared about was entertaining himself.

"But if you ask me... I say she deserves what she gets."

Taichi stopped abruptly, like if his feet were nailed to the ground, so much so that he winced.

"That's enough Roy!" Satsuma tried to scold him but to no avail.

"What? It's true and you know it. I have a life too and I don't want to grow old trying to find some brat who doesn't have any confidence in–"

Silence followed the collision of a fist plagued with anger and annoyance to the nervy smug of the British wielder of darkness. Taichi flipped around to see Takeru staring down at the rather surprised Roy, the blonde was shaking a little his bangs covering his eyes.

"Shut up. Just shut up." He muttered with a shivering voice. "Instead of talking like this we should be out there helping."

Roy stood up saying nothing, and faced Satsuma. "He's right... everyone, head to Harmony... I'll be there in a few. Takeru... you go search for Hikari, since you seem more motivated than the rest." He flipped around blood slowly gushing out his lip and a look that Takeru had seen before, the look of darkness. The way the eyebrows arched and the way the eyes showed restraint of hate was nothing more than the glare of darkness.

The Digidestined plus Miyako left Takeru alone to face Roy, with Satsuma there they expected nothing to go wrong. Takeru leered at him for a second before turning his back on him. "Don't ever say something like that again." he said and left.

"What were you thinking Roy? Why did you say something like that."

Roy wiped his blood off and chuckled. "Those two, Junior and goggles, they were pissing me off because they were holding in their anger. So I let them express it, although I was surprised that it was Junior who hit me."

"Takeru just got back from America and already you're causing problems for him."

"It's better to let something come out rather than letting it build up... kinda like Hikari's problem."

"Problem?"

"It's nothing... I should get going, It's been a long time since Examon's had a real battle, even if it is in his champion form, and these guys are going to need all the coaching they can get."

"About that. Did Cecil really say that? Or is this another one of your schemes."

Roy smirked evilly. "I do hold the crest of darkness, I must release my stress somehow. This is my perfect chance... besides... I have to create my own entertainment."

Satsuma watched him disappear in the shadows. Sure the kid was a hybrid of the essence that made a Digimon and humans but his tactics were always rough and harsh, it was hard to imagine him as a human, he was more like a person who would come out in a killer flick or nightmare. But Roy had told him about his secret, the fact that he needed to release the darkness that threatened to control him if he didn't have his ritual kill, it was the only way to take control of that evil that dwell deep within his heart and mind.

Takeru had raced to catch up to his brother and even overtook him. He wondered why Yamato didn't say anything when he was with Satsuma or even when he decked Roy. It was strange but it wasn't something Takeru could worry about right now. With every heart beat, he could feel Hikari less and less, like if the whole of the universe was losing it's light. He shook his head feverishly, he wasn't going to allow himself to think like that. He felt a little guilt for leaving his friends to fight off a hoard of Digimon but even if he had gone he felt that he would have gotten in the way since his mind would be else where besides the battlefield.

He hiked up the stairs and dashed into the apartment without even bothering to close the door behind him (Yamato would close it). He stopped at the computer screen, his Digivice opening the portal automatically. However he wasn't sure where to start, no one gave him any clues as to where she was, all that was known was that she had vanished without a trace. He glanced at map to see that it was true, black dots covered the screen and continued to press forward without much of a problem. However it seemed to curve at a point. His eyes widened, without hesitation he pulled up his Digivice. He knew where he was going.

x-x

It was cold. Darkness in every direction and the only source of light was her own heart. However, the light that uttered out from her heart did not gleam beautifully. Everything her holy light touched screamed in agony. The radiance of the light was not there, it was timid and afraid of the overwhelming darkness that surrounded her. She wondered aimlessly looking for a way out, but to no avail. It was a void that had no exits, the place that she dreaded the most, the image that kept tormenting her in her sleep.

A land of darkness where no life could thrive, where traces of light were nonexistent.

She collapsed, her legs unable to carry her anymore, her mind overwhelmed by the darkness.

Hikari Kamiya. A flower of light was confined in such a desolate place. Faint images of how she came to this place were still blurry, but she still held a small scar on her leg from where she was dragged from. The light that emitted from her chest was in the symbol of her crest, but even that was being pushed back by the darkness. It was like being blind yet a small light tried it's vest to radiate hope.

Far above watching her were two shadowy figures watching her every tentative step. "What do you think we should do first? Shall we confront her or frighten he a little."

A light chuckle was given from the second figure. "We shall prune the petals of light before the grand finale where we demonstrate how much pain she really inflicts upon us for her selfish deeds."

* * *

-x-

Well this seems like an adequate place to leave off. By the way, I might have to lag since I haven't payed my Internet Service bill and therefore I might have it cut off for a short time... I've fallen so far behind due to several debts I had to pay and I have... So see you soon and I hope to hear about my idea of a hiatus. Oh and sorry about any typos/errors.


	12. Behind The Smiles

**Digital Revolutions: Corruption Of Minds**  
**Chapter 12**

Disclaimer: I don't know why I feel obligated to put this up but oh well. I own N O T H I N G

_¤*~Reviews~*¤_

**Aero**: Don't worry. As for the story, I can't say much about the Dark Ocean theme yet, but the name of the chapter should be enough of a hint. I am doing somewhat well on this progress so stick around.

**Omega**: Thanks for the help...

**Alexus-Al** (Anonymous): Thanks for the feedback friend. Thanks, I will try and update more frequently.

**Anonymous**(Chapter 1): This was most likely a typo or something. I normally write during the night since I am busy all day and have very little free time. Hope you stick around.

A/N: Well I hope I met your demands with this update. I've been drawing a blank on upcoming Chapters and projects on the Art base... I need motivation, so I ask that you be patient with me. I will see if I can post up a promised artwork for a friend and a Pic for you guys to get a better idea of the upcoming chapters. Stay alert, stay safe and if you want more info on Mangas, then leave a review or PM me.

_Hiyori, what does Yaoi mean...?_  
– Yutaka Kobayakawa

* * *

_Behind The Smiles_

_-x-  
_

Blazing flares sliced through clouds of smoke, ice froze the earth, and winds ravaged across the frozen plains. From the safety of his base, the cruel emperor could only snicker icily at the ongoing battle. Halsemon glided through the sky for a brief moment, the girl and her Digimon who had been hindering his plans minimally had found allies in the Digidestined. He saw the rest of the Digimon lining up a defense while the Digimon that could fly tried to launch a tentative offensive.

"I wonder how long you'll last without destroying any of my servants... Miyako Inoue."

His army was pushing them back further and further. It was a losing battle for them.

Stingmon appeared behind him, in the shadows glancing at the war that was brewing. It was strange but he felt something inside him sink, he had planned out a serious of similar strategies on previous campaigns, but this time something was telling him that this was wrong. Not his strategy – which was working perfectly – but the actual feeling of war and subduing the Digital World with the law of his partner; The Digimon Emperor was eating away at him.

"Ryo!" He called. In a second Cyberdramon and Ryo appeared behind Stingmon.

"Yes? What is it?"

"Let's put an end to their little struggle. Go and finish up. I still have to find a way into that continent."

Without saying a word, the duo vanished. Stingmon idly standing by and watching as the fight was closely coming to it's end. He could already see the Digimon that had flanked around them and began to strike from behind. At best the Digimon would be given an ultimatum; join the emperor's army or we'll destroy your partners. Simple and brutal.

–X–

"Guys, we have more Digimon coming at us from behind!" Taichi shouted through the roars of battle. "Dammit what happened to that idiot." Roy promised to join them but had not been seen at all, and they were quickly losing ground and the idea of retreat came to mind.

"Blazing Flare Breath!" From the sky a shower of flames fell upon the Digimon who were flanking the rear. A blue dragon cheekily pounded the golden sea of the desert. Standing on the shoulder of the blue dragon was Roy, a smirk playing in him face.

"I'd say I'm sorry, but I barely care. Now let's give them hell and don't hold back. Coredramon, do it again!"

"Blazing Flare Breath!"

The others watched, stunned, as the vast flames consumed the weaker Digimon that marched towards them, they couldn't believe that he was a member of DATS. In that single act their view on him changed completely. The way he jested as his dragon flew over the battlefield was a side they had not seen before on him, although it was seen on someone like Piedmon.

"What... is he doing?" Miyako asked. Her voice a little shaken as she watched the continuous assault.

There was no response from the others.

Taichi glared at Roy, but the effects of his tactics were already showing; the Digimon that had ambushed them from behind were retreating and so were some of the Digimon that had confronted them, though only a few. There were some battling it out and those stronger ones that could stand up to Coredramon were fighting him savagely.

"I could use a bloody hand here!" Roy announced as his partner tossed a Airdramon to the ground.

The rest of the Digidestined turned to Taichi waiting for his go. "What do we do?" Greymon asked. With the Control Spires taken out in the vicinity by the single armor level Digimon, they were able to retaliate as champions. Hesitation hit Taichi, the reality of destroying Digimon and the images of the past battle rushed back to him. This time it wasn't their fault, the Digimon they were fighting were being controlled and to destroy them would be plain murder. It was a while since he was pushed to such a corner.

"Desolation Claw!"

From beneath Coredramon a sharp blast shot up the dragon along with Roy to the sky. The opposing Digimon halted their attack and retreated a bit. From the sands emerged Cyberdramon and Ryo.

"Who's that?" Yamato wondered as the face of the teenager became clearer and clearer.

"That's Ryo and Cyberdramon." Miyako answered. "Both of them work for the emperor."

Taichi noticed the spite spewing from Miyako's words, he decided not to underestimate this newcomer. "What's your business with us?" He asked calmly approaching with the necessary caution.

With a smug and evil grin, Ryo faced the leader of the group. "I take it that you are Taichi Kamiya, the only person who went into 'Ruin'." His grin widened to see Taichi's shocked expression. "It seems that I got here a little late, since our blitzkrieg was actually hindered by the famous Taichi."

"You! Who the hell are you!" Taichi's voice was shaky, having remembered that horrible feeling of helplessness from the Ruin Mode four years back.

He chuckled lightly. "That's... not important, that is a story for another time. Right now it's time to show you Kamiyas, that I far surpass your skills." He pulled out a strange device from under his cloak and rose it to the sky. "Crush!" A sudden murky aura flashed from it. Ryo chuckled again to see that all but one of the Digimon had regressed back to their rookie forms. "Well Miyako, I guess it's just you and me."

She replied with a glare.

"What happened why did all of our Digimon go back to their rookie forms?" Sora asked.

"It's the Crush Effect." Miyako answered flashing a Digimon card at them. "It's kinda like the Crush Card, but it's effectiveness varies. It could be very strong or very weak at times."

"Instead of worrying about my tactics, you should be worrying about your friend." Ryo reminded. "If I remember correctly, Cyberdramon did a number on him."

"And what makes you think that?" From behind Cyberdramon, Roy stood just as smug as Ryo, however a dark red liquid was lightly crawling down his hand. "You pack quite a wallop. This is the second time today that someone makes me bleed..."

"I'm surprised that you managed to come out of that alive. However I find it annoying that you refused to just give up." Coredramon returned from the sky, growling and unscathed by the blast of the Ultimate level Digimon. "I see that your pet also managed to survive. My crush effect must have not been within range."

Roy didn't reply this time, and it stunned the Digidestined to see that the smart ass didn't counter, it was his bread and butter after all.

Taichi felt that uneasiness again, and he knew that everyone else was feeling it too. In personality the two were almost identical, though Roy was fighting on their side, his tactics seemed the same as the Digimon Emperor's.

"I hate your type." Roy said.

"What? You hate the fact that I am stronger?"

"No... the fact that you think you're stronger. The way you told me to just die really pisses me off." At that Roy smirked in Taichi's direction. "You guys can have what ever is left from the cronies, I want this one for myself..." Slowly Roy pulled out a peculiar device that was different from the D-3 and D-Power (D-arc?) "Let me show you what happens to weaklings who can't back up their words... Coredramon!"

The blue dragon took to the sky, like a rocket heading out of orbit to space. Leaving the Digidestined and their Digimon to fend for themselves, the only type of support being Halsemon.

"What do you intend to show me? How to run away?" Cackling, the ruthless Ryo was brought to the surface of the sandy golden ocean by his partner. "You're too pathetic to even make fun of."

"I can't argue with you anymore." Roy said, his cold blue eyes hidden by the black veil of hair. "I have another engagement waiting for me. So pay attention because I'm going to get in a shit-load of trouble for showing you this..." A bright blue core emitted from his hand leaving Ryo and the Digidestined to take in the peculiar event. "Core Fusion Evolution!" He crushed the orb sending a beam of light from his Digivice to the sky.

"W...What the?" Taichi – hell even the controlled Digimon – stopped to gaze at the radiant light show.

"I'll see you later." Like that Roy began to walk towards the twilight the loomed in the opposite direction of the horizon. "Pendragon's Glory." He muttered before a sandstorm picked up and a the sky was set ablaze by a red gleam. Before anyone could react, a blast sweat across the desert Cyberdramon being the first to have been caught in the blast disappeared without a sound. The controlled Digimon scrambled to try and evade the beam, but the majority of them were caught in it's relentless and unforgivable assault.

The Digidestined watched in horror as death rained on countless Digimon, they were just observers to a slaying from the spectre in the sky. Not even a single question could be uttered, not even a thought could cross their minds.

As quick as it came, the beam seized leaving behind a cloud of dust in the air. Slowly the air cleared, allowing the stunned crowd to take in everything that had just happened. Even Koushiro was left without words in his mouth. Their eyes caught a glimpse of Ryo on his knees and his head lowered in shame and disbelief, his body shaking most likely out of fear. It was understandable that was something they had never witnessed before and it was devastating.

Taichi watched as Coredramon swooped down from the heavens to have Roy mount him and leave in the distance. There was certainly a change in Roy a change that scared him. "Just... who is Roy?"

-x-

A lonely light ran through a field of endless darkness, running, and fearing the sudden roars and laughter from the shadows that surrounded her. She didn't know where she was going, but every time she stopped to catch her breath, the roars and cackles would become louder and closer. Her knees had grown weak, threatening to collapse at any second and lungs had pushed beyond their limits and the light that was being emitted from her chest was dimming slowly.

_'It's no use... I'm not strong enough.'_ Her slender body came to a abrupt stop and the light dimmed almost completely. The roar and laughter seized, leaving a dreaded silence behind.

Her body was shivering. It was cold, it was dark, and it was a place where fear thrived.

Sounds of metal clinking in rhythm drew closer to her with ever passing second, like if someone was walking towards her.

"It seems that she's just about ready to give in."

Hikari faced up to meet a humanoid digimon covered in a elegant pink armor. The digimon held a rose in it's hand and looked down at her, almost as if smirking behind the armor that protected it's face.

"I don't even have to look at her eyes to see that she fears us."

The meekness of her light allowed her to see a more dreadful Digimon with wings and white armor, giving off a very ravening aura. She pushed herself away and faced the two digimon, both of whom chuckled at her. Both of the digital monsters expected her to do that, but she didn't utter a word, she did not dare say something that would trigger these digimon into a frenzy.

"Are you... the child of light?" the unpleasant tall digimon asked.

There was no reply. She didn't know why but the darkness and the fear in her heart were binding her, preventing her from even uttering a single yes.

"You two really need to work on your scare tactics a little more." A new voice came.

Again from behind, the acclaimed wielder of darkness posted himself, wearing his trademark cloak that hid his identity only showing that smirk of his. Hikari did not know if he was there to help or proceed with the torture that the two digimon missed to finish.

"W...what do you want?" She finally managed to asked .

He drew closer to her and pulled her by the collar of her blouse. Immediately she could sense his anger, but that smirk was still there almost as if taking pleasure in scaring her. But just then, she noted a drop of blood gush out from his lip, though he seemed completely unaware of it.

"You know what I want." He whispered coldly. "Or have you lost so much connection with yourself that you can't feel my agony or that of the equilibrium that keeps us in place?" he could feel her freeze up in his grip, his cold words taking the desired effect. He grabbed her head gently and forced her to focus into his eyes, drawing her closer and closer to him. "You are the cause of all of it, the reason for this disruption. No one will believe you or understand you, like no one has believed me. It's a imbalanced caused by your idiocy and cowardice!"

The cloak that covered his face fell over and her eyes widen to see who the person – the esteemed holder of darkness – was behind the mask of the ominous shadow. His scent was different than it was on earth, he was tainted with a scent of corrosion and death. There was no mistaking it, this was the wielder of darkness, the way his eyes pierced through her own and filled her hopeless even more.

"I... I don't understand..." She quivered in his grasp.

"What part don't you understand?" He asked calmly. "The fact that you've denied yourself things you wanted, the fact that you can't express yourself? Do you see the darkness here, this is what you've caused since your light has become so weak."

Her eyes widened, the light that was paving her way was also becoming much more modest. Since she had arrived that had been happening, and she had a good understanding now as to why. But a feeling inside her was telling her that Roy wasn't doing this to help her in any way. She was still in his grasp and she was still frozen with fear and too weak to protest, she didn't know what to do. It was four years since she had felt so helpless.

Suddenly she felt a pair of arms pull her away from the icy glare and into a warm embrace. She faced a pair of blue eyes, the ones that she knew very well from the person who she could rely on all the time. His eyes were very different from Roy's, they had a a sense of gentleness and kindness while Roy's displayed only disapproval of any positive emotion. "...TK." She muttered.

TK smiled at her but his eyes showed concern. "Are you okay?"

She couldn't help fight back the tears that were drawn out by his mere presence. She nodded and buried her face in his chest, trying to hide her tears.

Takeru held her tight, he was afraid that he wouldn't see her again. He faced the culprit who had brought her to the desolate land of darkness.

Roy staggered to get back up on his feet to face the newcomer and two smaller Digimon by his side. "I'm impressed... you are stronger here than you are back on earth... But it really pisses me off that you've actually hurt me twice in one day, boy."

Takeru just leered at him vehemently, not wanting to even look at him, having punched him again to take Kari away from his grasp. He knew enough about Roy to know that when he used the word 'boy' was when he was really angry. "What were you planning to do you creep."

"You don't seem surprised, I take it that you found out who I was when you punched me back on earth."

This was true, when he made contact with Roy, he felt a sort of uneasiness, something not nice, something brutal. "I asked you a question; what were you going to do to her?"

Roy snickered at Takeru's tough exterior. "That's not really a good look for you, blondie. But I'll tell you why, if you can prove to Dynasmon and RhodoKnightmon that you are capable of protecting her."

Out of the infinite darkness, both Royal Knights appeared and stood tall before Takeru, Gatomon, and Patamon. However, neither Gatomon or Patamon backed down from the two tall Digimon. "You may be big, but we're a lot tougher than you think." Patamon said.

"Heh... don't worry. I would never hurt the _Queen_." RhodoKnightmon answered, pulling out a rare white flower and waving it gently with his fingers, like a white flag.

"There's no need to fight." Roy said. "I brought her here myself and made sure that DATS got the wrong information, not even those morons who call themselves the Digital Guardians knew that it was me. However... I also brought her here knowing that you'd come."

"What... what are you talking about?"

"Haven't you noticed? No normal person could ever make me bleed. I am protected by the darkness and my strength as a hybrid increases my body's ability to take abuse."

Takeru felt Hikari's full weight drop on his arms. He looked down at her tear covered face, she had blacked out. "I want to ask you more questions... but I have to get Kari back home. I want to hear your story tomorrow."

Roy chuckled. "You love her, no." Takeru showed no reaction to him. "Well I won't be able to tell you anything."

"Why not? The way you talk about the Digital Guardians, it sounds like you're not a part of them."

"Too right, mate. But I'll have you know that I won't have much of a choice. That's because of that guy." He said aiming his hand upward.

Takeru looked up to see a familiar Digimon hovering above. His malevolent armor fitting in perfectly with the dark horizon, like if he belonged in a place like this.

"Craniummon was there since Hikari came here, and she was not able to see him even at that distance. Do you want to know why you can?"

Takeru returned his glare at Roy not showing anything other than anger towards the one who made Hikari cry. "Why?"

"Because... you harness both light and darkness, you released your abilities when I pissed you off. I am tired of the way the slow training process from Digital Guardians. It's slow and inefficient."

"So this was one of your training methods?"

"Think of it as a leap forward from training, you grew so strong in just a short amount of time, and all I had to do was simply abduct the queen..." He laughed, delighted with the scornful glare Takeru shot at him. "You want to hurt me... no... you want to kill me. Right?"

Takeru did not respond.

"Let me tell you something Takeru, this Kaiser – this Emperor – he has many strong followers, but the ultimate weapon is himself. He is Ken Ichijouji."

"And? What is so special about that? We'll capture him and help him, something you probably know nothing about."

Roy snickered. "You obviously have no idea. I'll tell you something that the Digital Guardians found out thanks to me... you and Ken are the same, both of you have light and darkness at your disposal."

There was a moment of silence. Takeru tried to take in all the things that Roy was saying without loosing himself in question using the spite he held on him for what he did to Hikari. However, above the resentment and curiosity, was the concern over Hikari's well-being. "I don't care about that. Right now what's important is to get Hikari out of here." He said turning his back on Roy and pacing back to the portal outside the wall of darkness.

He sighed. "Fine, but next time, don't just come here with Patamon and Gatomon alone, the faithful and true followers of Darkness would not appreciate her company, since she's caused them so much trouble."

Taker stopped, again he was blaming Hikari, but for what reason? "What are you talking about?"

"I can't say much since you're not ready to hear it... but I will say this. Behind her smiles, behind her laughter; Hikari. Feels. Nothing."

Takeru wanted to turn around a see his face. The way he said it had a melancholic tone behind it. But he had nothing but sarcasm from him in the past. (They've met in the past while both of them were in America) Takeru continued down the path of darkness, Hikari in his hands, and Gatomon as well as Patamon by his side, though he kept a straight face he had never been so afraid since four years ago, it was a rotten feeling.

The trio faced Craniummon with indifference, without a sound he had already appeared behind them.

"Don't you have something to say to us?" Dynasmon asked, knowing that the devilish Digimon wouldn't say anything or do anything.

Roy smirked at him, he could see that Craniummon wanted to say something. "I'm not sorry anything I've done, I know I did the right thing... but I am kinda feeling bad for stealing his gift." he said hold up the small present that Takeru was hoping to give Hikari today. _'he's just as lost as she is... there is no point in letting him have this.'_

Craniummon stared at the wielder of darkness – it was strange since he was unable to see what was it that Roy did wrong. He himself felt that this was more effective than Cecil's ways, it meant less danger but more brutal conditions that the mind had to endure as well as the will and spirit of a person. He witnessed Takeru enter the Dark Continent, he saw no hesitation, but did see fear. The boy whom he had seen in the past had grown up to be a very courageous person.

Despite the effectiveness of Roy's Tactics, it pained him to see a child in agony, let alone the Wielder of Light.

-x-

The sun was setting over Japan, and everyone was relieved to see that Takeru had found Hikari, just as he said he would. But Takeru decided to remain quiet on Roy's identity for the time being, he didn't want them to know just yet, he still had plenty of questions he wanted to ask him and give him out would certainly reduce his chances to talk to him since he apparently went on a rampage and destroyed several Digimon.

They had gathered outside the Kamiya residence and allowed Hikari to get some rest.

"You're really a life-saver Teeks." Taichi said making the blonde's messy hair even messier. "I just can't believe she slipped into the dark continent."

"Yeah, the rumors are that if you go in there, there is no shot at coming back." Yamato said, recalling what Gabumon had told him.

"Yeah... but I still can't believe that Roy and his partner did that." Sora said, the images of destruction being played in her mind over and over again. She had never seen such a devastating attack like that before.

"... it was something that needed to be done there was just too many of them to try and fight... at least we managed to stop the emperor from advancing any further into the other continents." Joe said trying his best to show himself and the others the bright side.

It was strange to have all those things happen on a single day. Many of them were still shaken up by what had happened, but none of them were expecting to resolve this in a matter of hours. A similar even would have to be the blitzkrieg to get back to earth through Myotismon's castle, and they had more ultimate level Digimon to help them, but this time only Roy was able to help them defeat the emperor's Digimon and Takeru was able to find Hikari on his own.

"Look, let's not worry about that now." Takeru said calmly. "Why don't you guys go to that dance?" he suggested. "It might take the stress off you guys."

He earned various looks of confusion from his friends.

"What? Why, we barely made it through today, we should be focusing on a strategy for the next time." Miyako protested

"TK's got a point." Taichi said. "We can't be stressing over something that's already happened, and I know that Roy and Coredramon did destroy those Digimon, but it will take the emperor sometime to regroup and come up with a new plan of attack."

"That's right Miyako." Koushiro spoke up politely. "We shouldn't forget to enjoy ourselves as well, otherwise we'll lose focus. Don't worry I've asked DATS to send some help."

"And they agreed?" Yamato asked incredulously.

"Yeah, they said they had two agents coming in soon."

"Well we'll just wait for them, so don't worry Miyako." Taichi said. "TK, I take it that you're not going to come with us?" Taichi asked, already knowing the answer.

"I'll take care of Kari until she wakes up. You guys go ahead." Takeru said smiling a bright smile, one that the others had not seen in a while.

"Alright, hey Izzy, why don't you take Miyako to the dance since both of you don't have anyone to go with."

Miyako blushed, she was well aware that Hikari's brother was blunt, but to be this forward was just embarrassing.

"If you're not going with anyone; would you like to accompany me to the dance?" Koushiro asked.

Apparently Miyako did not note the nonchalant tone from Koushiro. Despite all the knowledge he had, he was still rather oblivious when it came to matters such as 'asking a girl out to a dance', although he only saw it as a mutual outing between friends.

"Well it's settled. Let's go." Taichi said cheerfully without waiting for Miyako to reply. Though he seemed cheerful, he was actually a little shaken by his sister's disappearance, but to maintain a sense of order for the team, he was willing to hide his anxiety. Even though Sora saw right through him and chose not to say a word.

Everyone began to exit until Sora and Taichi were the last ones in the room. "Takeru, I'm glad I can count on you." Taichi said calmly. "I know my sister is in good hands with you."

"Thanks." Takeru smiled using a simple word of appreciation, anything other than a 'thank you' would simply lead to confusion, especially with Taichi who had a mischievous grin on him.

"You know Takeru, you can always come talk to us if you ever need help." Sora said, using his full name which was rare.

With a final smile, she dragged Taichi out, leaving him alone with Hikari. However he was perplexed by Taichi's reaction and cheeriness, to actually leave him in charge with his sister's safety was something that was not uncommon but for him to happily submit to an idea like a 'dance' was still a little surprising. Back then, nothing would separate Taichi from Hikari if she was ever put in danger like she was today. Was it his age that changed him, or was it the fact the Taichi trusted him enough to leave him alone while Hikari was sleeping... it was confusing, but nevertheless, he was happy to spend valentine's day with her.

"What the?" Takeru reached into his pocket to get his present for her but it was missing. _'Did I drop it? Darn it where is it?'_ he frantically searched his pockets for it, unaware that Roy had snatched it out of his pocket.

He sighed and relaxed, _'It's probably a good thing... I wonder what she would have said if she knew what it meant...'_ he wondered how bad this could have affected his relationship with her if she didn't feel the same way. He could already see the awkwardness they would procure just by being together if he did that.

He wondered to the kitchen to refresh himself and saw a box of chocolate cake mix on the counter with strawberry frosting along with a small note on the side. The note read...

_Blondie (Junior) if you are reading this, then you figured it out._

_I stole that shit keychain of yours._

_But don't worry, I heard from Odin that_

_you got pretty good in the kitchen –wuss– so_

_I bought this for you._

_-Chocolate Cake still counts as a decent valentine's gift jackass-_

_I'll give you back your stupid gift when_

_you grow some cojones._

…_. are you still reading this! Get to work blondie!_

_Your master: Roy_

Takeru crumbled the piece of paper but a small smile formed on his face. "what an idiot" He muttered, but at the same time he was grateful, as well as puzzled, why would Roy help him after putting him and Hikari in such a situation... He wasn't going to waste his time chewing through that same thought over and over again, he had a cake to bake, but he wasn't only going to rely on Roy.

-x-

The sun was finally gone and the dance was brewing up with people in the high school, middle school students were present, almost as if it was a festival where everyone could come by and tour the school. But this time only students of both local Shinjuku schools were invited. It was lively and everyone was wearing casual clothes as it was instructed in the letter. It was strange to a certain group to be in such an atmosphere after facing death in the face earlier.

Miyako waited silently for Koushiro to show up, since he felt that he needed to change (He's always in his school uniform). Sora had told her not to expect much from Koushiro since he was rather oblivious of what he often said when it came to things like these. Miyako sighed, disappointed at the fact that a person who she really admired was really inattentive in the ways of love. It was strange that a few hours ago she was also in a dire situation and now in a lively environment.

Her mind drifted to the pathetic image that Ryo was left in after their battle, on his knees and shaking. He disappeared after the smoke cleared but Satsuma mentioned to them that he had been taken in by the Digital Guardians to be put through purification since Ryo was also a victim of mind control.

She sighed, everything had grown so fast and now that she had a break, it was all sinking in.

"Hey, Miyako." Takato suddenly appeared. "Have you seen the others around?"

"Oh, hey. Yeah, Tai and Sora are already here but the others went home to change. By the way, I'm rather surprised to see you here, whats up with that? You don't look like the guy who enjoys places like these"

"umm... well yeah I came with a friend."

"Henry?"

"Is it so hard for you to believe that I came here with a girl?"

Miyako grinned at him. Though the two had recently met a few days back, she had gotten used to both Takato and Henry, the two of them seemed rather timid in their own ways.

"Rika? What are you doing here?"

While lost in her thoughts, Miyako had not noticed Rika fidgeting behind her. She had not seen Rika like that before, her cheeks filled with a light blush from embarrassment and her aura somewhat flustered. It was almost like if she was a different person, but without a doubt it was Rika.

* * *

_**/-)(Roy's Rants)(-\**_

What's this? I make an appearance just to be tossed aside, what a crock. That aside, the chapter you just read only took 17 hours to develop – yeah I know – but the wanker took almost three weeks to finish it. It's what you call procrastination. By the way, the quote of the day is only applicable to those who are girls and that one guy you know... Any who the next chapter is coming up soon, so stick around good ol' chaps, and like always, have a good day.

Eheh... Sorry for any typos and take care... of I also wish to extend my thanks to those who've fav'ed and added the story to their subscription. It adds to the motivation. :D


	13. Under The Night Sky

**Digital Revolutions: Corruption Of Minds**  
**Chapter 13**

Disclaimer: Why do I even bother. and don't pay attention to Roy if he offends you.

_¤*~Reviews~*¤_

**Aero**: You kinda figured where I'm going with this, heh. Gotta get writing. And thanks for the support. I know I lagged so sorry, I heard you talked to Omega and since he always tends to blow things out of proportion... I decided to apologize to everyone personally for my lag.

**Omega**: Yaoi...? I know you like that, ne. Lol. And yeah Roy's Rants are a permanent addition to the end of every chapter from now on.

**BitterSweet41**: Well next chapter is going to be mostly about them but this one is mostly on Rika. I am a Takari fan but I also want to try and get to everyone. And don't even trip, I don't see your review as a flame...I hope I can keep it like that by getting better.

**Mizuki Hikari**: I can picture that. It's strange that I ended this chapter with a scene like that – minus Roy. Although that would be a pretty funny drawing to pull off... Darkness, Hope, and Light... but I don't think Roy's gonna be happy about it. =D

_A/N_: Sorry for the delay people but my laptop got fried and I lost a majority of the chapters that I forgot to backup. I will try and redo the chapters to make up for lost time. I have released an informer on the story that will go further than the third segment and several other things are included as well. Hopefully once I push the final version in, it can look more like a web mag. It's posted under the GOOD NEWS Section of my profile. the link leads to Deviant art.

_You can't get by without others, it's inconvenience that binds people together._  
- Goto, Nagi

* * *

_Under The Night Sky_

It was not like her to be in a place like the school after hours, let alone a dance where a lot of her classmates recognized her. She regretted having come to such a place but Satsuma had insisted to her to go, and if she did she'd be rewarded with a fight or at least with a sample of what's to come for her with her expected fight with Taichi and Yamato. Both Taichi and Yamato shook her a up bit, the way they reacted to her was something new, since no one ever agreed to her fighitng. Everyone she knew (Miyako, Hikari, Takato, and Henry) had scolded her for only wanting to fight and refused to put up an actual fight. Sure she could fight just to have absorb their data, but she wasn't after that anymore.

She sat on a bench on a lonely part of the school away from all the clamoring from her peers. Only Miyako, her rival, was there.

"So you came here for Yamato and Taichi, right Rika?" Miyako asked tentatively.

"Satsuma said that one of them was suppose to give me the fight I want."

"Oh so instead of chocolates you asked for a fight? But Taichi's already going out with Sora, I wonder if it's' okay..."

"Ugh. You can say really stupid things sometimes."

"But Yamato's a single guy, and he's a hottie."

_'she ignored me...' _She scowled at Miyako, she was digressing on purpose, but it also brought a question to mind, was Yamato really going to be the one to take her on, after all Taichi was indeed busy with Sora. "If I didn't know any better, I'd swear you're trying to pick a fight with me."

Miyako laughed and shook her head. "No. My brain is still trying to process the fact that you'd chase a guy on valentine's day, even if it is for a fight."

She muttered something under her breath and sighed. "Any way, why are you here? I doubt you have a date with anyone, four-eyes."

"Hah, that's where you're wrong." Miyako said adjusting her glasses with pride. "I'm waiting for Koushiro."

"Koushiro? You mean that drone that's always on the computer?"

"Hey, don't talk about him like that. Besides at least I'm here with someone cool which is more than I can say for you."

"What makes you think I'd waste my time with boys?" her words were cold, especially when it came to those matters.

"Aww come on, we're not all that worthless." The cheerful Taichi came, wearing his trademark goggles, a plain white shirt, and black cargo shorts. "Relax and take it easy."

She rolled her eyes at him. "So you're here to fight me and Renamon?"

"Well, I would but there's too many people around, besides – Miyako, you'll love this – Jihad is going to be playing in a few minutes."

Miyako's loud fan-girl squeal made Rika shiver. It had been a while since she saw that look on Miyako and it had not made her change her opinion that Miyako was just a common fan-girl with brains as part of her charm and no appeal.

"I guess that's why we were told to dress comfortably."

"Yup. But they won't be playing Metal or anything, they're going to play something people of all genres can enjoy."

"So I came here to waste my time!"

"If you stick around you might find that we're much more than a band."

She glared at the person who walked so casually by and into their conversation. For a second her expression changed but immediately Rika hid the look of astonishment. This person's blue eyes were gleaming and his hair was as white as the snow. "And you are?" she asked pretending not to know him.

"Pardon, my rudeness, I am Cecil Belanger. I couldn't help but overhearing that you are looking for a fight, a fight that will fuel Renamon's fighting spirit. Am I correct?"

She narrowed her eyes even more at him, wondering where he was to hear that much into their conversation, they were in a open space just around where the main concert was going to take place, there was no where to hide. Only one answer came to her mind. "I guess you're the other DATS member, the one that old man spoke about."

"I guess so, but please enjoy yourself, and we'll talk after the show. Who knows, maybe I'll be able to satisfy your needs."

"...You do realize that you sounded like a pervert right now, don't you." Taichi chuckled, turning Cecil's face like a tomato.

"Okay I heard it too – shut up."

"Excuse me for asking this..." Miyako's voice was shaking with excitement as she cling on to Rika's shirt. "You're _the_ Cecil from Jihad, but you're also from DATS?"

"Ah, you must be Miyako, I heard plenty of things about you. It's a pleasure to meet you." Cecil extended his hand to greet Miyako the old western way, She took his hand wholeheartedly, suddenly forgetting everything about DATS and the fact that Cecil had stated that he himself was a member of DATS.

_-x-_

The pleasant aroma of chocolate cake awoke Hikari from the sheets of silk blankets that were placed over her. She was back in her room, the lights of the buildings around fluttering through the curtains and lit her room more than normal. She got up and turned the lights on to see that she was really in her room, away from the overwhelming darkness. _'was it all a dream?'_ she had similar dreams like that before but this one was far different, this time the darkness had consumed her completely.

Hikari was about to leave her room but beyond the door, she could hear a voice, a voice that she did not recognize. She slowly creaked the already open door even further.

"We were well aware that Roy had those type of abilities... but we did not say anything because he had never used his abilities like that before but rest assure that he will be confined and reprimanded for his actions today."

"What... type of punishment?" Hikari heard Takeru's voice.

"That will be up to the Digital Guardians. They clearly warned him about using his powers, let alone use them to endanger two top priorities."

"I don't get it. If he is a Digidestined like us, why is he being restrained like that? And don't categorize us as 'top priorities', please."

"... Roy is a very special person, but his way of thinking... it's simply brutal. He resorted to destroying Digimon who were under the influence of mind control. He is unpredictable and very secretive."

"How?"

"He always keeps to himself, never letting anyone know where he goes... But still that is no excuse to act out on his own and risk your lives like that."

"I understand that what he did was wrong, but why are the Digital Guardians going to punish him? Instead they should try to help him. Having the darkness like he does must mean that he's hurting inside..."

There was a moment of silence. Hikari hadn't thought of it like that, she was too afraid to even think that time, but now she began to feel sympathy for Roy. He always grinned and always had some sort of mischievous intent. However she always felt a sense of uneasiness when he was close to her, and today that sense of uneasiness had become clear to her. He was always grinning and playing to hide his dark intent and his ruthlessness. It was strange that they were complete opposites yet were very similar when it came to hiding their own thoughts and emotions.

"What about his brother? Cecil knows about this, right?" Takeru pressed on calmly.

"Yes... however he's deemed Roy as a threat and is willing to comply with the Digital Guardians on their decision."

"That's not fair." Hikari burst in the living room. "He's probably hurting inside and he has no one to talk to, not even his own brother..." Tears began to build in her crimson chestnut eyes, reducing the tension in the room almost instantly.

"Miss... Hikari." A man with long blonde hair and silky smooth skin finally spoke. "We've tried to approach him using every avenue of our resources but he would shut us down every time. This person does not want to change... but I can't say for sure... What do you imply we do?"

Hikari thought for a second, wondering what was it she could do to talk to him. She tried to look for a way to help him but Roy's cold gaze kept appearing in her mind. Glaring at her with more resentment.

"I apologize for my forwardness Miss Hikari. It is clear that you've been through a difficult day. We will not bother you with any more questions nor will we trouble you with our presence. We will take our leave, and please, pardon our intrusion." There was the other man behind him. He was the one who was doing all of the talking up until now. He was tall with long blonde hair and a pair of blue eyes that expressed a ray of hope, similar to Takeru's own.

"Wait...I'm sorry... I don't know your names."

The two of them turned around to face her, smiling. "My name is Dante." The man with the longer and lighter hair bowed.

Th other man with Takeru's eyes bowed deeply as well. "I am Steven, and it's a real pleasure to meet you both... I am sorry for suddenly coming and going like this... we will try and plea for amnesty on your behalf for Roy. The Digital Guardians should listen to your word more than ours or anyone else."

The two guest left them alone. it was strange for DATS agents to come over their house, let alone two agents whom they never met. But they seemed to be aware of plenty of things so Hikari did not bother with the questions she knew that the response would be the same as Satsuma. Both men were gorgeous, but the silent one moved with elegance even when he walked out. It made her wonder why a man such as him would join DATS.

"How are you feeling?" was the first thing Takeru asked feeling her forehead. "You caught a fever, but I guess it was really nothing."

She was slightly surprised by his sudden approach. "I'm fine..." She replied. "And...T... Thank you for being there... for me"

Takeru drew closer to her and smiled his gentle smile. "I'll always be there for you." He said and wrapped his arms around her. "I was scared, I thought that I'd might lose you."

She was shocked at Takeru's sudden embrace, but the warmness of his body quelled any form of uneasiness in her.

His scent had not changed, even after the four years that had passed, his eyes still sparked hope and his hair was still as messy as ever. She knew that she was selfish for even thinking this but _her_ Takeru had come home after what seemed forever. There was times where she would have nightmares where he never came back. But now having his arms around her was like one of her dreams. She buried her face in his chest and hugged him back, hiding the tears of happiness from him.

Takeru held her chin up and gazed deep into her chestnut eyes. It had been a while since he had seen them, those eyes that sparked the light in his heart in times of darkness. The light that gave him courage. He drew closer to her, her could feel her breath, he could hear his heart beat faster, and the sense of tranquility fall over him.

THUMP-THUMP!

That atmosphere was shaken by the loud banging at the door and the two of them parted immediately, both of them blushing in a beat red. They could hear Daisuke's voice outside asking 'Kari are you okay'. Takeru sighed, Daisuke not only had bad timing but surely he was disturbing the neighbors.

_-x-_

Yoshino sat alone with Roy in a dim and small confinement room in DATS HQ – one of many. It was quiet and Roy was refusing to speak, though he maintained a small smirk. Yoshino knew him better than anyone and she knew that something was bothering him. It was also no use in talking to him, the best way she found to get him to open up was just to remain silent and look at him. The best way to get someone like Roy to talk was not through gruesome interrogation but through persistent annoyances.

"Would you just get out!" Roy finally snapped.

"Not until you tell me what's bothering you."

He clamped his head with his hands, threatening to rip apart his hair. "Bloody hell, you Japanese women are so stubborn, I thought you were suppose to be quiet and keep to yourself!"

Yoshino said nothing and continued to stare at him with indifference.

"Fine, stop that and I'll tell you, you remind me a lot of my mother, wrinkles and all."

Outside where Megumi and Miki's PawnChessmon kept watch, the two Digimon were slightly startled by a light tremor and a yelp from inside the confinement cell.

"Dammit, that hurt!" A bump on Roy's head quickly began to form. "Oww bloody hell, can't you take a old joke?"

"Enough, just tell me what's wrong!"

Muttering several imperceptible curses, Roy settled down. "Let me give you a piece of advice: never help anyone who is too bias to see the endgame."

"Why?"

"You think that I did something bad by destroying those Digimon who were under mind control... but I feel like I gave them a sense of mercy that they couldn't have gotten from those goody-two-shoes who call themselves the Digidestined. There are times when _that_ is the only action to take. There was no way that even I could free those Digimon without risking anyone's safety, especially when Cyberdramon showed up."

Yoshino had a privilege indeed, not only did Roy talk to her about his problems, but she also always got to see his sincere side. She could see that he thought he had done the right thing. If she were in his shoes and had the power to protect someone, she'd probably done the same thing. Yet part of her felt guilty for not trying to stop him, but now that she looked at it... what other way was there to take?

Suddenly the door opened and Satsuma came through. He stared at both of them for a second before speaking. "What were you thinking?"

Roy did not reply and instead averted his eyes away from the captain.

Satsuma sighed. "You're free to go."

"What?" both of them asked.

"You're free to go." Satsuma repeated. "Hikari requested the Digital Guardians to refrain from reprimanding you, but you are going to have to be accompanied by someone at all times when you leave this building." He stated, staring at Yoshino the whole time he spoke.

"Me? Why me?"

"Because you haven't done anything after our mission."

Her captain's voice was irritated and no one other than Roy dared to push him beyond the irritation point. Reluctantly Yoshino agreed to babysit Roy. Sure she liked hanging out with him but to babysit him would get on her nerves. She still remembered how annoying he was as her instructor.

Roy was rather annoyed by the fact that Hikari took pity on him and the part where Yoshino had to be around him as long as he was awake. This was not the best time to be watched 24 hours a day and be kept at bay. He had just put Hikari though hell and he did not want to be held responsible for any further dangers that may come her way... but with the way things had developed, he was on a short leash and to defy them would mean persecution of the biggest kind. For once he had wished that Hikari just let him suffer and get things over with.

_-x-_

It was late in the night and the park was empty, overseen by the city lights, the crescent moon and the barely visible stars. Rika waited under the shadows of the trail where couples often would traverse through in the late hours of the day. Somehow it wasn't the case today, most likely due to Valentine's day. But it didn't matter to her, right now she was waiting for a certain person whom promised a fight with her and Renamon.

She saw a single person walk through the concealed trail. He stood out to a great degree, his silver hair was something too hair to miss, especially with the dim lights that reflected brighter than usual.

He had stopped and met her eyes.

Rika was rather impressed, no one had been able to spot her from under the shadows, yet Cecil easily drew her out. She walked out without saying a single word. Renamon appearing just as she always did, in a second and out of the shadows.

Cecil drew himself from the shadows, a earnest manifestation on his eyes. "Rika... sorry to keep you waiting... but are you sure that you want to go through with this?"

It was strange, his tone drew a little bit of hesitation deep inside her. It was a first that hesitation arose before a battle even started, but what was strangest was the fact that she wasn't excited at all. Her pride would be dammed if she ever allowed anyone to see her back down from a challenge. "Yes, I am." She said forcing a smirk. "I should be asking you that question."

"Renamon..." He said ignoring her arrogant comeback. "Are you sure that you want to go through this?"

Renamon had never been asked if she wanted to fight. She had always been greeted by protest against her fighting and pleas for her to stop her fighting... none of that mattered to her, as long as Rika was willing to do it. "A challenge is a challenge. I will not wavier too your warnings so easily."

"Very well." Cecil said regrettably. "Ready yourselves because my partner is already here. You will see him for a brief second before he finishes you, I just pray that Renamon is strong enough to hold on to her life."

"What are you babbling about? Don't underestimate us!" Rika barked.

But as she said those words, she saw a look of remorse wash over Cecil. "I'm sorry" he said silently but she was able to make it out.

She had notice that Renamon had not moved an inch from where she stood. She was perfectly still, like a statue.

"It's over." Cecil stated. "She's real tough, her will is strong, not many Digimon can stand up to the attack of a fully experienced and trained Mega Level Digimon."

Rika's eyes widened, a Mega Level Digimon and she did not even see it or heard it make any sounds, all the evidence she had on the Digimon were on her partner. The bruises and messy coat was enough to show her how outmatched she was. Her partner was beaten still by Cecil's partner and she could see that Renamon was using every ounce of will power just to stay on her feet.

Finally Renamon began to tremble under her own weight. "I'm sorry." she muttered before her feet gave out and she collapsed.

Cecil stared at Rika. She was scarred, her exterior may seemed compose but her eyes glinted fear. He wanted to show Rika that her attitude was wrong but in a different way. This approach he used was sparked because of Roy's actions, though rash and dangerous, it was quite effective. Cecil approached Rika, placing his warm hand on her shoulder, telling her that it was okay and that there was no danger. Both of them knelt down to aid the Digimon and move her to cover.

-x-

Taichi arrived home to the lingering scent of chocolate and a warm atmosphere. He smiled, he hadn't felt this atmosphere in a while, the one that both his sister and Takeru gave off when they were together. He came to the living room to see the TV display a menu for a DVD in a endless loop. In front of the TV on the couch, two heads rested on each other.

Taichi poked through quietly to. It was strange to see Takeru like he did, not because he was 'cuddled up' with his sister, which was out of context, but because of much he had matured and grown both physically and mentally. However he was rather surprised at how much Takeru grew. He was shorter than his sister four years ago and now he was almost as tall as he was, and as of today he had demonstrated that he could remain calm even on desperate situation... although he did lose his cool when he decked Roy... which rather surprised him.

Taichi smirked._ 'Dai and Matt will love this.'_ He pulled out his phone and captured a not to shy photo of the two who were ever so close... _'hmm I wonder who put the blanket on them?'_ he had not noticed it earlier but there was a small blanket wrapping the two together, one that Taichi had not seen nor one he was familiar with, one that did not belong to them.

* * *

_**/-)(Roy's Rants)(-\**_

What a horrid way to end this crappy chapter. This scenario has been done thousands of times, where the brother comes home and blah, blah, BLAH! It kinda makes me sick. And you bet your ass I'll be pissed if you draw something like **that**. If I were French then maybe.

Well any who, did you know that the whole dance thingy was based off on something that the author's school used to do on Valentine's day? Needless to say that this guy hardly went to those things because for one, he was a loser and two he sucks at dancing... He thought it'd be kinda cool to add it here. Also this chapter has been sitting on this guy's laptop for a while now but due to certain circumstances it was delayed. (Between you and me... he forgot to post it up before his laptop hit the shit... I think he's getting senile)

Always so charming Roy. -_-. Pardon any typos I may have left and as always have a good day, and feel free to leave me your thoughts on the page I made.


	14. A Play On Emotions

Digital Revolutions: Corruption Of Minds  
Chapter 14

Disclaimer: Gnihtyna nwo t'nod I(I don't own anything)

**_¤*~Reviews~*¤_**

**Omega**- Thanks, dude. I needed some sort of direction for the mag. And calling me names will not help me update any quicker, ass. Lol. Any who I'll see if I can update sooner now that I got this sexy beast of a laptop... although reinstalling programs like Photoshop, Dreamweaver and so on is proving to be a pain.

**Aero**- Hah ya, we do argue a lot. But it's nothing serious. And your drawing is pending. I want to learn how to make a sort of abstract fire before I finish it. I'd say it's about half-way done... no less. I still have the rough draft and I am stuck on how to make his face... beastly or a mix of both human and beast? I'll send you some of the ideas I had for his face as soon as I find them on my external drive.

**Lym12345** – Thanks a lot for your review, and I hope you keep tuning in, and yeah... I don't remember if I did that on purpose or if it was a typo... normally I write during the night and sometimes I tend to daze off even when correcting...

_**A/N:**_ Alright people let's keep the ball rolling and get started. First of all, I've posted the beta 00 issue of the mag on deviant art. You can find the link on my FF profile page under the **Good News** section and also, I want to try drawing more so the updates will have a two week gap from now on... unless I get a writer's block. Any who, I hope to continue this story further than the mag suggest so keep tuning in people and thanks to again to all those who've faved and subscribed to the story. I'd also like to extend a special thanks to those who take time off their schedule to read and review my story.

_Where do you draw the line? When is it time to fight? Is it okay to be afraid...? It's okay to be afraid because it takes courage to fight when those who you trusted cross over 'that' line into your life and your world. That is a place where you decide who gets to live and who dies.._  
- Unknown

* * *

_A Play on Emotions._

**After a well earned scolding** about taking pictures without one's consent being a crime, Taichi finally managed to get some answers out of Takeru. 'Harmless accident' was what Takeru tried to explain to Taichi but under the eyes of the vigilant brother, who seemed rather lax about it, it was an opportunity. Now after a day Taichi's teasing continued, Takeru would have preferred if Taichi just gave him a black eye, but no. To make matters worst, Yamato joined the fray.

"So you two were cuddled up rather nicely in a blanket, nice."

"I told you I don't know who put that on us so please don't say anything that will cause misunderstandings, Matt." Takeru sulked his head into his arms. At the very least, they weren't teasing Hikari, yet he couldn't help but wonder if Sora and the other girls were as brutal as Taichi and Yamato. He knew Joe and Koushiro would at least had the decency to remain quiet, but that didn't mean that they weren't going to think about it.

"Aww come on, is it so wrong for me to want to know who my little brother slept with?"

Takeru turned redder. "Come on, you're making it sound as if I did something inappropriate with her. Don't say thing that can cause misunderstandings." he repeated.

"I agree." Taichi said. "At least not in public."

Takeru sighed, just when he thought Taichi was going to stand up for him, he pushed him even further into his hell than his brother...

"So did you confess to her?" Yamato asked with a grin.

"I told you, we were watching a movie and we fell asleep, nothing was said, and nothing happened."

For the third time Yamato sighed and shook his head in disappointment. "What a boring and unromantic brother."

"Shut up." Takeru muttered. It was in his best interest to try and digress for now. "So Matt, how was the dance? Did you guys get an encore?"

"Don't change the topic. This is more interesting and fun."

"So it's fun to tease me?"

"With the reactions you give us, how could it not be." Taichi replied. "By the way, I heard that Daisuke came by like a rampaging Tyrannomon, what did he want?"

"We didn't open the door, so I wouldn't be able to tell you."

"Ah, that explains why Dai showed up at the show, he must have thought you guys were there."

"Dai showed up at the dance?" Hikari asked, startling the three boys by the silent girl's sudden entrance.

"Since when...? I mean, you should knock next time." Taichi said wondering if his sister heard them teasing Takeru. "You're gonna give me a heart attack one of these days."

"How long have you been standing there?" Yamato asked.

"I just came in... Why?"

"No reason." All three replied quickly.

Hikari knew something was up, but then again her brother, Takeru, and Yamato were at a awkward age, so she concluded that it was best not to know what they were talking about. She continued to getting the groceries out and preparing lunch for everyone. Even though her brother, Yamato, and Takeru knew how to cook, they always preferred her cooking to their own, needless to say that she didn't mind cooking for her brother or Yamato, least of all Takeru who made a cake for her.

"Hey do you need any help?" Takeru asked.

Though she didn't want to bother Takeru, he seemed to want to be with her. His face was almost pleading to her with a strange smile. "Sure... you can help me peel the potatoes."

"Alright."

Taichi and Yamato watched to two act so casually, like if _that_ didn't faze them one bit. It only made Taichi feel a little bad since he was throwing it up in Takeru's face but at the same time it irritated him, It was clear to Yamato too. Both of them looked at their siblings as if they were already living together yet the two acted as if it was nothing special.

A knock at the door snapped both brothers out of their mental frenzy. Taichi and Yamato silently got up to answer it.

Taichi opened the door to be greeted by the cheerful Miyako and Rika who seemed more than a little bothered. "Hey guys, we came to hang out."

Not the best timing, but it was something to alleviate Taichi and Yamato's mind from their younger siblings. Taichi welcomed them in warmly and asked Hikari if she could make two extra dishes, both Takeru and Hikari happily agreed.

"Hey, Rika, you seem kinda upset, did the match not satisfy you?" Taichi asked. "Too easy, huh."

Rika remained silent for a few seconds. Bad enough that Cecil told Miyako, but she was told to tell everyone the results of her battle as penalization. "No... we lost."

That left them all a little surprised, not even Taichi or Yamato had ever seen Cecil's Digimon partner face-to-face, only through words had they heard about his partner's achievements.

"Was his partner really that strong?" Miyako asked. She just passed off her moodiness as normal, she didn't bother to ask about her battle.

She nodded. "The battle was over before we could even see his partner."

Both Taichi and Yamato had heard from Yoshino that Cecil and his partner were the invisible duo since they would end a battle before anyone could take noticed. It only brought up the question as to how strong the two were and how far had Cecil and his partner had ascended.

Rika sighed, she had been treading over the same thought for a while now and still she could not find an answer to her defeat.

"Hey, guys, lunch is ready. Come on." Takeru announced.

The group gathered for lunch, they were having Miso soup along with some bread sticks that Takeru procured. Some simple ramen and chicken However the atmosphere was rather heavy because of Rika. It was strange for her to socialize with anyone let alone go to a 'friend's' house to eat lunch. But that wasn't the reason. Rika looked lost, like if she had her life flipped upside-down, everything was in shambles.

"... and that's what happened."

Takeru could not help but feel a sense of pity for Rika. She was introduced to Takeru as a girl who saw Digimon as mere tools for fighting and now that she lost, she didn't know what to do. A single defeat shook the foundations of what Rika used to believe, or perhaps more.

Rika felt really vulnerable, she was on the verge of breaking down, but still her front remained strong, yet the humiliation of not being able to do anything for her partner was pounding hard, threatening to shatter the wall that protected her.

"Rika... can I ask you something?" Taichi asked. "Do you think your losing had something to do with power or even level?"

"W... what are you talking about?"

"Well from what I heard from Takato, Henry, and Miyako here, you are a brilliant Tamer and Renamon has power and tactics at her disposal, am I right."

Rika simply turned away, that was what pissed her off the most, the fact that she was an elite yet she was toppled down by a 'attention whore' as she thought Cecil as.

"Yeah, when it comes to that, any of us could have beaten you because you don't have what we have with our partners."

"What?" She glared at the earnest Taichi.

"Trust." He continued. "You are brilliant, you trusted on your skills to help Renamon win throughout all your battles in the past, but when the time came for you to battle another person with a Digimon partner, there was one thing that they had that you didn't, and that is trust."

"What a stupid thing to say." Rika snapped. "Trust can't help you at all in battle."

Taichi smiled, not a taunting smile but a smile that you would give to a mislead child. "Renamon waited for you to tell her what to do. If you had trusted her enough to let her fight on her own, then maybe she would have beaten Cecil's partner."

Any vehemence she had for Taichi was washed away by the truth. She couldn't react fast enough to tell Renamon what to do and Cecil didn't have to say a word to his partner. It was their trust that allowed them to strike with lightning speeds and overwhelm her. She calmed down and simply ate the soup, now wondering if what Taichi said was true, could anyone who trusted their partner's that much beat her in a battle?

The heavy atmosphere faded and everything was back to normal.

"By the way, did you stay here the entire night Takaishi?" Miyako asked.

"Please call me TK, and yeah I did, it got kinda late and I guess I drifted to dreamland while watching a movie." Takeru answered cheerily.

"Yeah look, here's a picture." Taichi flashed the picture to Miyako before a flustered Hikari confiscated his phone.

"Tai please. Don't go around showing pictures that were taken without the consent of the person in the photo."

"Aww come on, Hika, it's cute." Miyako cooed in her girlish tone. "I didn't know you two were in that kind of relationship."

Rika watched both Takeru and Hikari turn a beat red. This kind of scenery was unknown in her home, the only one that would try and make a family conversation possible was her grandma, but it always ended with a dinner where her mother would talk none stop about her photo shoots and fashion career. Nothing like 'love' was common in her house... although one time her grandmother did ask Rika if she had caught herself a boyfriend.

"Wow, that's really romantic." Miyako squealed. "Falling asleep in the couch with a childhood friend who've you longed to be with for years, it's almost like a manga." Miyako's eyes sparkled, and what she didn't know was that she was right, the two had waited a long time, but none of them would admit to it.

"Could we please talk about something else." Takeru said, his voice strained with embarrassment. "Like how we're going to deal with this Emperor in the Digital World."

"Yeah we could but we would need everyone else for it, I want to get everyone's opinion on this before we head in." Taichi stated, now in a serious voice. "This is unlike anyone we've ever fought before because this enemy is human so if we actually manage to defeat him, how would we handle him? They say he's that Ichijouji guy who went missing four years ago, but that's irrelevant right now, we can't destroy him so we need to come up with some good strategies and Izzy is our best guy because let's face it, I am not that good when it comes to strategies and Izzy knows too."

Takeru was left in silence. Taichi had really thought this out thoroughly, and even admitted that he wasn't the one to trust with this task. It was really out of character for him to do so but as a leader he knew it had to be done. At that moment it hit him, he was teasing him to try and hide his anger for being powerless to help in this situation.

"You get it now?" Taichi asked, a forced smile on his face.

Takeru nodded and smiled. "So, how was the dance?"

"Aww it was great, at the very end they played a American Southern Rock song called..."

The mood was lively again, even Rika was dragged into some conversation. This was how it was suppose to be at the Kamiyas every day, cheerful and happy, more so now that Takeru and Yamato were with them. Despite the things that were happening, everyone was trying to make the best of things...

-x-

Cecil sat alone in the park bench of Shinjuku Park, wearing a bright blue hoodie and shades to cover his identity. He felt horrible for what Alphamon did to Renamon, he knew it was going to be over quickly but he felt that he hurt Rika more, which was his intention; to drive her away from that ideal of Digimon she had indoctrinated her mind. Yet the look in her eyes still haunted him. He had returned to the scene and stayed over night to try and make sense of everything that had happened.

"Hey, Guilmon, where are you!" he heard a boy call out. "Come out boy!"

Cecil turned around to meet Takato and a girl whom he had not seen before. Suddenly the red Digimon popped out from the bushes and startled the two.

"Geez, Guilmon when are you gonna stop chasing squirrels?"

The Digimon only replied with a joyful laugh. The girl who was with Takato caressed the Digimon's head kindly.

Not only was a Digimon shown to someone who wasn't a Digidestined or even one of those self-proclaimed Tamers, but the girl wasn't even afraid of him. Cecil had not witness anything like it before. Even he was taken aback when he first met his own partner, and so where the Digidestined, even Rika. Yet this normal girl wasn't showing any kind of fear instead she was welcoming the Digimon, almost as if she knew him for a while now.

"Takato Matsuda!" Cecil hollered, his call causing Takato and the girl to freeze up. Cecil walked up to them casually.

"Ehh I see you like my friend's costume, I made it myself." Takato tried to cover up.

Cecil sighed, that was probably the lamest lie he had heard. "I am a member of DATS, Cecil Belanger." He removed his hood and allowed his hair to cascade down his back without any constrictions and exposed his blue eyes to them.

They were left in awe and the only two reasons that popped up on Cecil's head were: 1. He's the vocalist and guitarist for a famous band or 2. he's a member of DATS or both.

"You're from that band. Jihad..." Takato said with his mouth agape.

He chuckled. "And you and I are friends, now tell me, who is that girl? Is she your girlfriend?"

He blushed. "Well she's a friend." He answered shyly. "and why... why do you want to... know?" He asked still dazed by the girlfriend remark.

"If I may ask, what is your name?" Cecil asked the stunned girl. "You don't seem frightened by this Digimon and instead you treat him like a child, I want to know why."

"Umm... no sir. I think he's really cute." She said patting the curious Digimon's head again. "I'm Jeri Katou. Nice to meet you." She bowed pretty deeply, up to the point where she lost balance for a second.

"No need for honorifics Jeri. Just call me Cecil." he smiled. "I would like to ask you a few questions, is that okay with you three?"

"Sure." the happy-go-lucky Guilmon replied. "Can I have some bread after?"

Cecil smiled, this Digimon was happy living his life with Takato. Now he was sure that Rika could change, if a Tamer like Takato could make Guilmon enjoy something other than fighting, and Jeri showed him that there were people willing to accept and get along with Digimon. Then he knew that Rika had something to contribute to Renamon.

Cecil smiled. "Okay, how did you meet Guilmon?"

-x-

Back then, it would have been a little strange, but now not so much. Koushiro pounded away at his keyboard with Joe watching over his shoulder in awe at the speed of his fingers while Koushiro researched the data base for any info on a Dark Spiral. However that proved to be a dead end, instead he tried to create a similar algorithm using the data he gathered from the encounter in order to find out what he could do to disable it's functions and destroy it without having to fight. But without the actual coil he could do very little.

"What wrong?" Joe asked

"... It's the algorithm, it's unique. No matter what avenue I try, I can't duplicate it."

"This emperor must be a genius to give you a hard time, Izzy."

Koushiro didn't say anything. _'No... no one would create something this evil unless they were heartless...'_ the single thought that the Dark Spiral could take over one's mind was enough to scare him, but to think that it was capable of removing all attributes of free will... it made him wonder what kind of effect it would have on a human and what were it's limitations.

Joe stood quietly, the expression on Koushiro's face reminded him of four years ago. "It's going to get bad again... huh."

He nodded. "Yeah... But I feel that it's going to be much worst... I think Taichi knows it too."

"You think it has something to do with the way he's been acting lately."

Koushiro now understood the reason why Taichi was acting really carefree lately. Up to the point where he didn't harm Takeru for snoozing next to Hikari. It was as if he was trying to make the most of the remaining peaceful days that they had before an all out war broke out. Taichi had seen it before anyone else, even before he did. "You know what... let's take a break. Let's head over to Tai's and see what's what. I think Matt and Sora should be there too."

Joe didn't say a word. It was strange to hear Koushiro speak in such a vacate tone, let alone wanting to take a break from cracking a code that no one else could. "Hey... let's try not to bring the others down, okay."

Koushiro nodded. "I know."

-x-

"Please Sora, not you too." Hikari groaned.

"I'm sorry Kari." Sora said giggling at the picture that Taichi had moused from them. "I didn't know you were dating."

"It's not like that!" Takeru feverishly tried to explain. "We just dozed off because we were tired. We did have a busy day and I was tired, I only slept three hours the previous day."

Hikari felt that it was her fault a little bit, she had plenty of rest but it was Takeru who first fell asleep, and without wanting to wake him up, she decided to stay by his side and eventually fell asleep. But it kinda hurt her to hear him say that it was nothing. _'it's my fault for being so selfish'_ she concluded.

"Ugh. I don't know why I'm still here." Rika wondered aloud.

"Because, you're part of the group." Yamato reminded her with a goofy smile. "Besides I think a change of scenery could do you some good. You're always fighting and you're angry all the time, I think being with us for a little while might loosen you up a bit."

Taichi nodded. "Yeah, and Renamon is being taken care of, isn't she. So you got nothing to lose by hanging out with us"

That was true, Renamon was under the care of another famous DATS member, Apollo, who specialized in medical treatment for Digimon. She had nothing better to do. "Can't we at least watch something and stay quiet."

"You're no fun." Miyako said, a wide smile on her face. "Now that act is getting old. You must have some stories to tell, I'll bet you might even have some love stories to tell."

Rika blushed a little. "Idiot. I don't have time to waste on such stupid things like boy hunting. I find it hard to believe that you would talk about such things even though there is no appeal to you"

A small friendly spat between the two rivals broke out and everyone just watched in amusement. Though Rika seemed not to get along with anyone, it seemed that she and Miyako got along rather well, like long-time friends. It was like watching Yamato and Taichi argue.

Takeru smiled, but he couldn't help but feel ashamed of himself. Sora, Taichi, and his brother basically set up a stage for him to finally admit his feelings for his long-time love but failed. _'until you grow some guts, huh.'_ was what was written in the letter that Roy left for him... more or less... but it was true, he only had courage when he was prepping, but when the time came to act, a sense of fear and insecurity stopped him. A sudden fear of rejection and destroying a friendship of trust... he chuckled at his cowardice and the situation was the perfect guise to hide his resentment towards himself.

-x-

On the very tip of Tokyo Tower under the setting sun, a boy with pale skin, soft blonde hair, icy blue eyes, and a number of feathery wings. This being watched the people below him go on with their daily lives. But to him they were but mere cattle to be used and then disposed of when unable to carry out the will of the powerful. But even he knew that he himself was a servant to a higher power, and his duties were very clear.

"Wait patiently humans... our law will one day set you free into eternal felicity. For now, enjoy your crumbling world."

He was among the calmest and deadliest of a array of soldiers from a empire with no mercy to show for those who got in their way. This particular soldier ranked among the highest of the rest... his name... Lucemon. Despite the frail appearance of a young boy, his powers and abilities far exceeded any normal Digimon.

* * *

_**/-)(Roy's Rants)(-\**_

Shorter than usual I suppose... but then again there was a due date to be met... any who a boy-girly Digimon has appeared and no one seems aware of it and to make matters worst, he's a... do I really have to narrate this shit? Did you know that I was suppose to quote in this chapter! I don't know why, but that was changed to something... more or less good... any who, I hope you guys (And girls) have a good day and until next time... hopefully I have more of a role on the next chapter otherwise I'm going to show this son of a-

Excuse Roy for his choice of words. Also excuse me for any typos. Have a wonderful day people.


	15. Angels Don't Kill

Digital Revolutions: Corruption Of Minds  
Chapter 15

Disclaimer: This story is purely fictional and anything said by the characters is mainly untrue and only based on stereotypes... do not get offended.

_¤*~Reviews~*¤_

**Aero**: Haha. Thanks. I'll keep going on but for now it's the sub-plot. Merry Xmas.

**Omega**: How dare you. Censorship is needed from him, lol... Thanks for the help anyway. Merry Xmas.

**Ciel Phantomhive XiaoLang Li**: Thanks a lot. And yeah I'll keep doing my best hopefully enough to animate a little scene myself. There will also be plenty of more romantic scenes coming up between Taichi and Sora in the near chapters. By the way, thanks and Merry Christmas.

**Chu Chu**: Thanks bro. I hope things are going good for you in Japan. I don't think I'll be going anytime soon, troubles with money you know. Merry Xmas dude.

**A/N:** Alrighty people, let's get another chapter on the go. Now before we start, I want to encourage people to give me some ideas for the future couples, I know I agreed on a few certain but for Frontier, I am not so sure... well it's still a long way to go for that so don't feel obliged to answer right away. This chapter is probably shorter than the others because it's mostly based on Lucemon's point of view...Today's quote is actually a variety from one of my favorite anime... (Know that this was only on English dub) By the way Merry Christmas to all of you here from America.

_Fat Christmas... I mean America  
Christmas in Godless Russia  
Even Godlesser – China  
Gay Christmas... I mean France  
Finnish Christmas... wheres that?_

-Narrator lady from Hetalia Axis Powers (_E N G L I S H – D U B – O N L Y_)

* * *

_Angels Don't Kill_

Walking among a sea of what he considered to be commoners, a boy separated himself from the crowds earning the intrigued looks from various people. His blonde hair, ice cold blue eyes, were a spectacle alone that would gather the gaze of countless, but his attire turned heads the most. Not only that but also the given age from the people's perspective was enough to raise question. This boy ignored them and walked through the path they paved for him, almost as if he pushed them aside with his unorthodox appearance.

This boy was a Digimon in the guise of a human, his name was Lucemon.

He was tasked with looking for a sort of dimensional gate between the Digital Plain and Earth, in the process he wondered into Akihabara a place best known for people in a strange getup, however his 'cosplay' alone gathered the admiration from many people. But unknown to the people it was also home to a very powerful source of mysterious energy that he assumed to be a portal to the ancient world.

"Wow, the foreigners these days are really good at cosplay." A lady in a maid outfit mumbled. "If you're hungry, you can come over to the 'Maid Cafe'*." She happily gave him a piece of paper. (*I got Lazy)

As a reflex, Lucemon took the sheet and continued on his way without saying a word.

"That's so CUTE! Do you mind if we have a picture with you?" A group of lively female teenagers stopped him again. He didn't say anything, he merely nodded and agreed to have his picture taken, although he wasn't aware what a simple picture was.

"That's really good, but can you smile a little?"

Lucemon smiled, a rare sight indeed. His ability to feign emotions such as happiness was the real reason he was chosen to undertake the mission on earth. In fact the only emotions he showed were those of indignation and irritation.

After that little photo fiasco he decided to move through the alleys in order to attract less attention from the _insects_ that roamed and crowded the streets."Such a nuisance. Such annoyances should be dealt with..." How he wanted to silence them all... but if he did any such sort of thing, it would attract the Digital Guardians... and that would be disastrous. He knew this because his power was reduced by over seventy percent, too weak to challenge all the Digital Guardians and strong enough to take on one alone.

At last he exited Akihabara but still roamed the alleys due to his appearance. _'I need to find some decent attire if I want to walk around here...'_ he looked up at a window on a third floor and saw that it was open. With lightning swiftness he smuggled himself into the apartment. It was rather messy but best of all, no one was home. He took advantage of the situation to ransack everything until he found nothing that fit him. Everything was too big for him and for females.

He took this time to expand his twelve feathery wings, enveloping the whole room after having them cramped inside his body for so long.

He looked at himself in the mirror, he was the most humanly Digimon possible. If he were to get rid of the markings around his body, no one would question him as a ordinary human being. It sicked him to be paired up with such a weak and simpleminded race.

"W... Who are you?"

Lucemon snapped around to see a young boy no taller than himself with dark hair and dark eyes. Under the conditions he was in, being caught committing a crime would surely be truly dangerous; it might alert the Digital Guardians. His calm aspect remained but in his mind he was panicking a little. "W... What is your name?" he decided to go with a casual approach.

The boy coughed violently and smiled. "You're an angel... aren't you..." Lucemon said nothing. "My name is Kouichi Kimura..." Again he coughed, this time the boy managed to restrain himself a little.

"My... my name is Luce..." He didn't add the 'mon' knowing well that the Digital Guardians introduced Digimon as a game to the world for many reasons but one of them was to have people identify him and any other Digimon that crossed over.

"Luce... you're an angel... right?" He asked again, this time with a hopeful tone. Lucemon nodded. "... then can you help my mom? My mom has been working really hard the past few weeks and she's not feeling well... can't you help her?"

Lucemon saw the young boy bow to him, something that he was used to having other Digimon do, but never a human. His eyes widened and he shook his head violently. He needed to stay on his path, he needn't be lead astray by such a simple gesture that fed his pride.

"If you help her... I'll do whatever you want, just please help my mom..." he cried, his head and knees still resting on the hardwood floor.

Lucemon smirked, he could use this to his advantage, he had forgotten how reliant humans were on god and other deities. "Very well I will help you and your mother under several conditions."

Kouichi rose his head with a grateful smile. "Thank you. I'll do whatever you say."

Lucemon smiled the smile of an angel, but behind that gentle smile hid the true nature of his plan. "Very well, here are the conditions. You must not tell anyone about me. You will aid me in anything that I require. And you must always follow and do as I say without question and you must address me as Grand Luce. Understood?"

Kouichi agreed to that without hesitation. Lucemon's appearance was of a pure angel, but his heart and soul were as corrupt and corroded as the worst of vileness. He was going to make use of this weakened boy.

"Grand Luce... If I may ask... can you help me get better? The doctors said that my immune system was weak and that is the reason I've been getting sick so frequently."

A small price to pay to indoctrinate the mind of a human child with the ways of darkness and the ideals of the Dark Empire, even if it might reveal his presence in the human world to the Digital Guardians and their allies. Lucemon pulled up his finger and placed it on Kouichi's chest with a faint glow his finger passed through the flesh without harm. Within a few seconds Lucemon separated from the confused Kouichi and smiled.

"How do you feel?"

Kouichi inhaled and exhaled perfectly and without coughing. "You really are an angel."

"I am... Now, judging from your height, we are similar in size... bring me some attire so that I may continue my search without causing much of a abnormal panorama."

Lucemon watched Kouichi race off to his room with excitement. It only fed to Lucemon's belief that people were easily manipulated with a single act of kindness, especially one that was delivered by a being with a heavenly attribute in his favor. He looked around the apartment, it wasn't too big nor was it suited to his tastes but it would make a perfect hiding place for him and also give him a place to stay overnight.

"Here, it's not much since we don't really have money, but these are my newest clothes." He said handing him a white long-sleeve collar shirt and some black jeans.

"It will have to do then." Lucemon muttered.

They roamed the streets casually now. Only getting a few looks because of the markings on his face as well as his blue eyes and blonde hair that completely stood out. Nevertheless they carried on.

"What exactly are you looking for?" Kouichi asked.

"Something that is very dangerous. A gate to another world, an unholy world." Lucemon was not going to give any sort of real information to a mere human, let alone a weak human.

"Is it like the underworld?"

Lucemon nodded. "In many ways."

"Then I'll help you, you helped me and you'll help my mom, right Grand Luce?"

"It is as I said, I would never go back on my word." This was true, Lucemon had never gone back on his word once given, this would be good or bad, depending on the situation.

Kouichi smiled a wide smile. Little did he know that his simple agreement would haunt him for years to come. Lucemon knew this and submitting to two favors in return for a pair of eyes and ears in the human world was more than worth the small but annoying price. However, what Lucemon didn't know is that the same human would one day turn against him with a hidden force he held in secret in the depths of his heart, a force that would overthrow him.

An Earthling and a Digital Monster, two beings from completely different dimensions held very dark secrets and very different objectives. Now master and servant under a promise and pretense by the hopeful Kouichi and the cruel Lucemon in a country overseen by the entire Digital Guardians and home to the Digidestined underwent a strange journey. Lucemon understood this, but the point of origin for his real objective was somewhere in the area where he was.

His objective, look for the Digital Gate that led to Hypnos, a dimension named after a deity, but home to a power that even Chronomon was unaware of. Lucemon was chosen for the obvious reason of resembling a human the most but mainly for his ability to feign emotions and conceal his powers and remain undetected. The perfect infiltration Digimon with a very dangerous personality was on earth and on a mission.

* * *

_**/-)(Roy's Rants)(-\**_

What the hell is up with this? Even that blondie Digimon got more parts than I have so far. And I've noticed that you keep calling me and making me say that I am 'British' that's partially correct but to be precise I am English. It also pisses me off that the ambiance is always... heavy and kinda depressing. But whatever we'll be getting back to the bloody story next time and hopefully I'll get more than a few parts... petition to this ass whole to put me up even more... and yes I know I said 'WHOLE' because I am being censored... bloody Americans.

Eheh... You shouldn't say anything that might lower our ratings or views Roy... Any who, excuse any typos and see you guys on another update on New Years.


	16. Twilight Over Harmony

Digital Revolutions: Corruption Of Minds  
Chapter 16

Disclaimer: This story is purely fictional and anything said by the characters is mainly untrue and only based on stereotypes... do not get offended... I am obliged to repeat this a couple of times while I come up with something new to say.

_¤*~Reviews~*¤_

**Aero**: I already knew that there was going to be a bad guy walking around but... Lucemon just happened to fill the part, so I chose him.

**Ciel Phantomhive XiaoLang Li**: Heh, yeah he was the same way in the sixth season (Digimon Xros Wars)... Hmm that is true both of them do share that sort of Tomboyish attitude, yeah good idea, I was looking for someone to fit that part and She fits it just perfect. Thanks a bunch for that.

**Omega**: Hmm not a bad idea, dude... Look forward to it at the end of this chapter. And I will thing about it. I still want to keep this leveled in between PG-13.

A/N: What is there to say other than thank you all for reading and thank you all for reviewing... I'd also like to thank the new subscribers and hope to encourage them to review... the quote of the day simply left me speechless and wondering if these people have any idea of what Socialism has done to the world in the past.

_Abolish Capitalism and replace it with Socialism...!_  
- Occupy Wall Street Protesters.

* * *

_Twilight Over Harmony_

Takeru sat on his bed, alone in his room... it had been a whole week since that raid from the emperor in the Digital World, and a week since he had rescued Hikari when she was taken hostage by Roy. It was also a week since ago that he and Hikari had found out about Roy's secret and his true identity. It frightened him to think that Roy was the wielder of darkness, he was with him the whole time and he did not suspect one thing about it until he arrived in Japan. Yet despite that, he had decided to remain quiet about Roy's secret; having a bad feeling about revealing such a thing. He stared outside the window, the gray skies and pouring rain reflected the tension amongst everyone, despite Taichi and Yamato's attempts to remain cheerful.

"Are you sure it's okay to just be sitting around?" His trustworthy Digimon partner asked.

For the first time in a while, Takeru was unsure of what to do. As said by Satsuma, the Digital Guardians forbade entry into the Digital World and deemed that all Digimon partnered to humans resided in earth until said otherwise or if the Digimon Emperor attacked again.

"I dunno, I guess we have to." Takeru answered. "You can say that we're in a pickle again... speaking of which, I'm kinda hungry..."

Patamon sighed. Sure he was hungry as well but he also wanted to figure out the plan of attack... if Takeru had one... back then it was Taichi who decided things like this but since Takeru obtained that new Digivice, he had become more of a leader though Takeru had said that he would still do as Taichi said since he had that knack for it.

"Yo." Yamato greeted him. "It's still raining so I'm making breakfast."

Takeru glanced at the watch on the microwave oven. "It's past noon."

Yamato glanced at the clock surprised that he had not noticed. "Details, details. Any who, are you going to Kari's today?" Yamato asked, a grin on his face.

"Yeah, well technically, I'm gonna go to the movies with her – Tai and Sora are coming along, so don't get any ideas." Takeru added almost immediately.

Moments later, Yamato turned around with some scrambled eggs in hand with sausages and mashed potatoes. His grin was wide and he knew it was irritating his brother. "Who knows, you and Hikari might run along during the movie and ditch'em to go-"

"I swear I will show everyone your baby pictures if you say another word." The flustered brother threatened.

"That's not nice TK." Yamato's grin gave into his rattled brother's threat. But he smiled softly. "You know, I've been wondering why both of you don't start going out with each other, you like her and I'm pretty sure she likes you."

Takeru looked down at his food. He played with it trying to give him an answer, but for some reason he couldn't.

"I think he's afraid that his relationship with Hikari might end if he does so." Gabumon walked in to the dining area. "Matt, did you make some for me?"

"Gimme a sec." Yamato said serving up to dishes for both Patamon and Gabumon. "Is Gabumon right, TK. Are you afraid?"

No. it wasn't fear as much as it was guilt. He saw what Roy had put Hikari through and condemned her for not wanting to see her role as the Digidestined of light. If he were to reveal his feelings to her, it would make him no better than Roy, he would be condemning her if she rejected his feelings or even if he accepted them out of guilt, he knew that she would never do anything to hurt her and he would do the same.

"Guess you don't know." Yamato concluded. "Well eat up and just let things work out on their own. I'm pretty sure that she feels the same way about you, Teeks."

"..." Takeru did not utter a thing. The last thing he needed was to be given a false hope. But he wondered how he came to Japan so confident and lost it all in the blink of an eye. He was ready to tell Hikari everything. Even the memory of him drawing her closer to her, their lips an inch from meeting, still played over in his mind every second of the day. He wondered what would have happened if Daisuke had not interrupted, would she had rejected him and ruined his relationship?

Yamato saw that his interrogation with his brother was over, any further questions would merely create a gap between them. "Any, who, Teeks. We'll be seeing the two agents DATS decided to send us to help."

Takeru decided to put those thoughts on hold, whether she felt the same way about him or not was not relevant at the moment. He was away for four years and had plenty of catching up to do with everyone. His brother who he rarely got to see even now that he lived in the same apartment as he did, was rarely around due to his activities with his own band and school. His time with Yamato as well as his father was cut short all the time since his arrival a week ago. Now he would try to make the most of it... even if he was teased by his brother to no end since that day he knocked out with Hikari on the couch.

"Really? It's the first time I heard of it." Takeru said more cheerfully.

**)}****/**V**\****{(**

Hikari stared at her white blouse and cute pink sweater and finally agreed that it was the best thing that fit her yellow skirt – Sora had bought it just for the occasion. Skirts were not something Hikari wore often – other than her school uniform. However, she knew Sora and knew that her tastes were good when it came to clothing, both western and traditional, and in this case she was dead on. It was not too short nor was it too long.

-KnoCk, KnoCk-

A polite knock made Hikari recoil away from the mirror on her dresser. "Come in." she answered shyly.

Sora entered her room, a smile on her like the one a mother would give when sending her daughter out on a date with a man she trusted. "It looks good on you." She said honestly.

"It's too revealing." Taichi concluded, poking his head in. "Couldn't you wear something a little longer? You know like below your ankles."

Hikari pouted, she knew her brother was playing around since the skirt was barely above her knees... like by half an inch. Yeah, her brother was a overprotective one at times.

Right now, Hikari could only feel giddy, for Sora planned a 'friendly' outing between Sora and Taichi, as well as Takeru and herself. It was suppose to be a group thing but the others conveniently and kindly declined. She was suspicious for a while but her heart wouldn't stop beating.

"Man, if TK's late this double date is going to go sour quickly."

Hikari looked at her brother with a light glare. She had established to her brother and Sora that this was **not** a date. Simply a get together between friends. In fact it was her who called the others to join them. However her heart raced with excitement every time her brother referred to this outing as a date. It scared her a little to have such feelings for her best friend. Back then it wasn't much of a hassle because he was halfway around the world and didn't really get to speak to him much, only via IM.

"Come on Tai, this is just a trip to the theater. If Matt wasn't busy with band practice he would have come too." Sora said taking Hikari's side.

With her brother's defeat, Hikari smiled. Time flew and she found herself in front of the theater. She was surprised to see that Takeru was already there, he was wearing a yellow collar shirt and some stylish shorts that dredged below his knees. Some would say that his attire wasn't fit for a date, but this wasn't a date and for some strange reason, it went with him too well. He was also wearing the cap that Hikari gave to him before he left to America.

"Sorry for the delay." Sora apologized. "Tai decided to have a snack before coming."

Taichi laughed nervously. "It's not like we were too late, besides our Digimon were hungry and I wanted to make sure that it looked like TK got here early."

Takeru exhaled a deep breath, he knew that Taichi would have a excuse for being late, but then again this was true, since their Digimon were on earth and had no one to cook for them other than their partners.

"By the way, which movie are we watching?" Takeru asked.

"It's a movie from America... It suppose to be a romantic comedy" Sora answered.

Takeru was hoping for something other than 'Romance', talking about romance when Hikari was around him made him feel unease especially with what had undergone in his mind. He also didn't want her to feel uncomfortable around him. Having that would mean that they would not speak with full honesty anymore about how they felt about something.

They walked into the theater listening to Taichi complain about how high the price was for all four tickets. They had time to kill before the movie started – since the movie had already started and was already going to start the loop for the next audience – and so they went to browse around the arcade room.

"Hey look. It's one of those photo-booths" Takeru pointed out. "You don't see a lot of those around in America."

"Really? Strange... but come to think of it... we haven't really asked you about how America is different than Japan." Taichi said. "Is it true that everyone has a gun?"

That was a commonly asked question among the tourist of all nations who went to America. It was Takeru's first question to the landlord who managed the apartment they stayed at. "Well... I heard that it depends on the state and person. But yeah, a lot of people over there do own guns." Takeru said remembering the 12 gauge shotgun the owner showed him when he was still eight. "Why don't we take a picture." Takeru offered.

"That would be great, right, Kari?"

Hikari had been a little too quiet throughout the entire time. Her mind was on her feelings toward Takeru. "Umm... Yeah, it's a good idea." she replied. A picture with her brother, Sora, and Takeru was actually a good idea.

They entered the booth and searched for a proper theme to suit them. One of them read 'Memories' with the current date and adorned with a frame around the it. The other sizes were pocket size pictures of just foolishness. The funniest one was with Taichi and Takeru both making relatively idiotic faces.

Taichi and Sora came out from the booth after taking their picture alone. "There's one more in there, why don't you guys take it." Taichi offered.

"Sure." Takeru agreed. He was having so much fun that he had forgotten about his uneasiness.

Hikari was the same. She was having a great time, however her mind was still on the topic of her feelings towards her best friend. However she followed Takeru, she wasn't going to ruin a fun day on such selfish things. After a few seconds, the two came out, laughing.

"Not a bad shot." Taichi said as he studied the final picture of the strip of photos. Takeru and Hikari were back to back posing like those goofy guys from that one show that involved Dragon balls.

"I remember seeing this somewhere and I don't know why... but I laughed." Takeru said a little embarrassed.

"I think you guys look funny." Sora giggled. "The way both of you are trying to force yourselves to be serious."

Takeru and Hikari smiled. They were trying too hard, but that was the point, as Takeru put it. He wanted a funny picture that showed that awkward seriousness that people laughed at. He hadn't had so much fun since he last was in Japan four years ago, even that little soccer game was much more fun. It wasn't to say that he didn't have fun in America, but he just missed being besides Hikari. Even Mimi who was living in New York was saying that she missed being with the gang.

About two hours passed quickly and the foursome walked out the theater into the main lobby after the movie.

Hikari and Sora took a restroom break leaving the boys time to 'express' their opinion about the movie... or better yet complain about how corny and dramatic it was.

"No matter which country makes the movies... they are always too dramatic." Taichi sighed. "But at least it was funny, that's what I like about American movies. They don't really back down from controversial topics."

Takeru knew very well that he was talking about the crude remarks about the modern generation, and _CENSORED*._ Takeru felt himself go red. The movie was aimed to teenagers over sixteen and that movie had some expressive nudity. It made him wonder how they gave him a ticket. He understood that Taichi and Sora were old enough but him and Hikari... did he really look that old?

**(*The only reason I censored that was because some topics about this movie which I won't mention are somewhat controversial... that and I don't quite remember the name)**

"Oi. Teeks are you okay?" Taichi asked, noticing that he was turning redder by the second.

"Y-Yeah... just a little... sleepy. You know how those romantic movies are." Takeru tried to lie, but unfortunately Taichi could read him like a book.

"Was it that scene in the movie." Taichi asked with a smirk, already knowing the flustered blonde's answer. "It's just a movie, so don't let it get to you... but if you ever do _that_ to my sister I will crush your windpipe."

"I-I Would **never**." he stammered. "Why would you say something l-like that."

"No reason. But why are you getting all flustered? It was just some boobs and-"

"Please stop. Think of the readers."

"I'm sure they won't mind, it's basically the truth."

"You're sounding a lot like Roy."

"Whats going on?" Sora came startling the two boys.

"Nothing." Both of them replied hastily.

Sora stared at them suspiciously, she knew just by looking at them that Takeru was being teased and Taichi was saying something he wasn't suppose to. _'I really hope they didn't say something to offend anyone...'_

Hikari herself wondered what her brother and her best friend were talking about. She saw that the movie was well made and a perfect movie for couples... it made her uncomfortable at first but soon she was enticed by the magic of the movie that she had forgotten about her brother or anyone around her. In her opinion the movie was almost perfect and the fact that it tackled strong issues was just educational. It was also very humorous.

"It was pretty boring." Taichi said. A sharp contrast to what he said earlier. "It's the same romantic movie over and over again just with different characters. I was hoping that American Romance films were better."

"Aw hush up." Sora said playfully wrapping an arm around him. "But you had fun, right."

Taichi sighed and smiled. "Yup... Oi Teeks, Kari, why don't we go get something to eat. I'm starving."

`~°(V)°XxixX°(V)°~'

Outside in his apartment's veranda Yamato, Gabumon, and Patamon enjoyed the day lazying in their foldout chairs and drinking some refreshments and listening to some tunes. It had been a while since both Digimon and humans could hang out like this due to the fact that the Digital World was under siege and Yamato as well as the others were busy with exams and school. The only ones who had any time to spare were Takeru, Hikari, Takato, Henry, Rika, Yoshino, and that other kid Iori.

"If we were out in the beach this would be perfect." Yamato sighed.

"It'd be better if we had some barbecue ribs right now." Gabumon sighed.

"Or better some nice Enchiladas or menudo." Patamon drooled.

Both Yamato and Gabumon looked at him wondering how it went from Beach to food to... possibly Mexican. (Sorry, even though I myself am half-Mexican, I don't know where Enchiladas come from.)

Patamon noticed them gazing at him like if he were an alien. "Oh that's a dish I had back in America. It was really strange looking but the Enchiladas were delicious and the menudo were so good."

"You know that those foods have a lot of fat, right?"

The trio faced Gatomon who stood on the railing in front of them.

"How long were you there?" Yamato asked.

"For a while now. You really need to start paying attention."

Yamato frowned at her. "I should tell Kari to get a bell for you."

"Good one." Gatomon said sarcastically. "So what are you guys doing? You know, other than talking about fatty foods."

"Nothing, just lazying around. There's nothing to do and I'm kinda tired." Yamato answered. Even though he told his brother and Hikari that he was going to have band practice today... yup it was a lie "I think it rubbed off on Patamon and Gabumon since they don't seem to want to do anything either."

Gatomon glanced at Patamon and Gabumon. _'They are so lax... at a time like this...'_ it ticked her off.

"Instead of getting annoyed, you know you should relax too." Yamato said almost as if he read her mind. "It won't be long before we are dragged feet first into this mess again."

"Shouldn't we be getting ready for the upcoming battle instead?"

Yamato sighed and stood up from his comfy chair, his towel slipping off to reveal his bare chest. "We gathered this much from DATS, Izzy, and our last encounter with this guy. We won't be able to help you guys Digivolve unless we take down those towers and avoid coming withing range of both Ryo and the emperor who presumably has the same ability to prevent evolution. Also, they have an army and we... well let's just say that the odds are against us. I don't see the point of worrying about that, we all know what were facing."

She had heard Taichi say something similar, though he was more optimistic and economical with the truth. Yamato on the other hand was a little more straightforward and saw the downsides of things. Though that didn't seem to shake his resolve. Even Sora was willing to see the outcome through to the end if they were to fail, though like Taichi, she was very hopeful.

Yamato sighed again, he could see that Gatomon was still worrying too much about it. "Don't worry about it right now. There will be enough time for that later. Besides DATS and Izzy are working on a plan."

"Don't you feel kind of bad for saying that? While they're working you're lazing around on your butt."

He smiled a little melancholically. "You know... It's been a while since I've felt so useless... If I try to help Izzy right now, I'm sure I'll get in his way... but hey, I'm not going to use this time to worry about the odds. Who knows this might be the last time we can relax like this"

She looked into his smile. She had seen that smile before on herself. It was the one that she would use to hide something. She decided not to press on, she had only come to Yamato's because she thought that he was going to be the only one who was going to take this upcoming battle seriously. She had tried all the others but they were in more than one way busy or simply taking the day off. Now that she looked at Yamato, she wondered if everyone was simply acting this way because they felt that this was going to be a long battle.

"Aren't you two worried about this either?" She asked Gabumon and Patamon.

"Of course, but there is no reason not to worry about it all the time." Gabumon answered. "It's just that we are making these last moments of peace last."

Patamon nodded. "Right. You can't worry too much about things as well. You must know how to keep calm under stressful situations that way you can perform at your best in action."

Yamato was taken aback by Patamon's answer. "That was really good."

Patamon smiled. "Thanks. This guy – mister landlord – said that to TK. He also said that the basic thing in combat was to hope for the best and plan for the worst."

Yamato arched a brow. He had heard something like that in a American Action movie before... "...Anyway, Patamon is right. We can't be tense all the time. It'll just wear us out. And I'm pretty sure we already prepared for the worst."

"Hey, Matt, can you make something to eat?" Gabumon asked. "I'm kinda hungry."

Yamato arched a brow. "Again? Give it a minute then, I'll whip something up."

"So I guess everyone feels the same way about this." Gatomon muttered. "Do you think we can win?"

That was a good question. Everyone was acting as if these were the last days to relax before Armageddon ripped apart both worlds. Even her own partner since her return from the Dimension of darkness was acting slightly different. She was a lot more silent than normal about the topic of fighting in the Digital World. Was there something that everyone else saw that she couldn't see? Even Agumon was the same as Taichi and always brushed her inquires aside with a simple 'I'll be fine'. _'I wonder if we can really win?'_

`~°(V)°XxixX°(V)°~'

In a condo luxurious enough to house the biggest names out there; the gathering of strongest beings of two dimensions met. The Digital Guardians along with their powerful allies from DATS gathered for a very important meeting. And even though it didn't seem like it, some of the most powerful beings in two dimensions gathered in a small room to state and make several announcements.

"In the past few days, we as a united group have been told that we were preforming very poorly by the Digidestined. So much so that one of our own had to go to the extreme to get them out of harm's way." The prestigious leader of the Royal Knights in human disguise stated to the whole room. A strand of his white hair cascading over his deep red eyes.

"And they are not wrong." Duftmon, or Dante as was his human name, pointed out. "We've been of little use, and so I ask: why haven't we been able to crack the Dark Spiral's power source?"

The Digital Guardians turned to the head of DATS. Satsuma Rentaro. "There are various issues that have held us at bay. We've had Koushiro Izumi try and break the source but alas we were unable to do it."

"If sir Koushiro was unable to break this source then we will have to recover it for him." The tallest, darkest, and bulkiest of human hybrids, Craniummon who had taken the name of Cole, stated.

"That's easier said than done." The short teenager with blonde hair, known as Magnamon to them and Manny to the world, said. "It's not like we can ask Ichijouji for a Spiral."

"Then we will take it from them by any means necessary." The Samurai Gaiomon in his human form said harshly. "I grow tired of playing these games."

"Calm down Giovanni. We need to think about this carefully." Omnimon stated calmly.

"Odin's right." Magnamon said calling Omnimon by his human name, which they had grown accustomed to. "Not only do we have to worry about the Digidestined, but we also have Damiemon watching our every move."

"Since we're on the topic, what happened with Beelzemon?" The slender and beautiful Dianamon asked. "Last I saw him over Harmony."

"He's gone back." Minervamon answered. "I think he's gone to report this in to Damiemon."

The room went quiet. They were allowed to name Harmony as the only safe zone in the entire Digital Universe from Damiemon's reign, and now that safe zone had been compromised completely as a war torn planet. It was true, during the first days of the emperor's dominion, the Digital Guardians took it upon themselves to stop him but failed. Despite having power at their disposal they were unable to break the impenetrable coils that enslaved Digimon without destroying the captive Digimon as well.

It was only when Roy showed up and shattered the coil with ease that it was clear to them that the Digidestined would have to be called in once again.

"What is the situation with Roy?" Another beautiful young woman with timid brown hair and glossy hazel eyes, asked a question that was on everyone's mind. "Is he okay?"

"He is fine, Rose." Satsuma answered. "Yoshino will be keeping watch over him."

"And what of our two girls?" The man with the hopeful eyes and blonde hair – Seraphimon – asked. "Will they be ready to start school tomorrow?"

"They will." Raidenmon, or simply Raiden, answered positively. "Both parents have given consent and they will allow their daughters to help."

Everyone continued to discuss about their future actions and plans. But idle and silent on the side, Cecil was in deep thought. Since his interview with Jeri and Guilmon he had been touching avenues he never even thought of contemplating before. But the thought of Digimon and humans living together was on his head. Jeri accepted Guilmon like a friend, a complete contrast to how Rika came to see Digimon. It was strange the show was started to help children identify a Digimon should one have crossed over but he never imagined that Digimon would have influenced a tamer like Rika.

Now with this brewing war and the constant surveillance from Damiemon's soldiers was putting the dream in jeopardy.

The ringing from Satsuma's ear piece pulled Cecil out of his thoughts. He narrowed his eyes. That ear piece never rang unless it was related to problems. He watched the captain slowly bring down his ear piece to his pocket.

"He's begun." Satsuma announced flipping his laptop on. "Take a look."

A map from the area the Search and Rescue squad lead by Satsuma and Hikari were completely overrun with the dark towers. He pulled the image to a larger scale and over eighty percent of the land had been taken, nothing was stopping the Emperor from crossing into the continent of light if the emperor wanted to.

"He's moved so fast and under our noses. He's established a strong foothold in the desert region..."

A wave of silence weighed on everyone, Cecil knew that this was coming and was not taken aback by the progress that was made. After all they were dealing with Ken Ichijouji, one of the Digidestined and wielder of the crest of kindness. However it did sadden him. Not only because a Digidestined was indoctrinated to believe that a conquest for power was his ultimate goal, but because the Digidestined who were trying to live a normal life were going to get involved in this.

"In a few minutes the Digidestined will find out about this." Cecil finally spoke. "We must do everything in our power to alleviate their plight."

"Cecil..." Rose muttered.

"It's about time the Digidestined know who we really are. As leader of the Digital Guardians and trustee of Arceumon's power and dominion, I am ordering everyone here to head to planet Harmony and defend the boarder lines from the forest to the desert, they cannot get passed out defensive." Cecil had grown tired of living in secrecy and he knew that his fellow friends felt the same way. Four years in hiding in plain sight. Wearing masks for the majority of their time. It was really tiresome.

"It's a bit to late for that." Duftmon said. "They've just crossed the boarder."

"Then we have to push them back." He said firmly to the Royal Knight. "Let's go. Satsuma, I will trust you to make a secondary evacuation point should things go wrong."

"Yes. Now move."

`~°(V)°XxixX°(V)°~'

The sound of loneliness filled the emperor's chambers as he watched his minions descend upon the opposition without mercy. He could only smirk at the images of Digimon being subjugated to enslavement by his Dark Spirals and those who were too week to be captured would be eliminated. In his kingdom there was no room for the useless. All of his subjects willing or unwilling were told specifically that if they were to become useless they would be eliminated. Now he watched as two sides collided with one another to determined their supremacy, one battle he was determined to win.

* * *

`~°(X)°Roy's Rants°(X)°~'

"Bloody hell. I am now a host for this jerk? Fine the job pays pretty good coin. Now here with me I have Taichi 'Tai' Kamiya. The chosen whatever of courage."

"Hey... it's been a while."

"Yeah, yeah. So let's get down to the point. People are wondering if your relationship with Sora is going anywhere."

"Umm... isn't that a little too personal? Besides wouldn't that ruin our side story if I told you now?"

"Pussy. Well how do you see the story thus far? Is it better than your original series?"

"Well the original story is the best, but I really like the way this one is going. We have more foreign characters as main characters instead of just minors."

"Mmhhmm. I think you're happy with this storyline cause you got Sora."

"W-what?"

"You know what I'm talking about."

"..."

"And that's all the time we have. Join us next time when I interrogate... I mean interview Yamato 'Matt' Ishida. Till next time, and I hope you have a good new years and if you grab a pint think about the joy I bring you."

Eh... Sorry Tai. Any who I hope you the same as Roy, a good year. In the name of the Phixer, Blue Flare, and Xros Heart brigades, I say thanks for reading and tune in for the next update coming soon.


	17. Just Like Old Times

Digital Revolutions: Corruption Of Minds  
Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I do not mean to offend anyone. All organization, companies (CIA, SEAL, GIGN, Nissan, etc) or events are not real and any similarities is purely coincidental.

**_¤*~Reviews~*¤_**

**Omega**: But it was funny, wasn't it... okay I'll make an interview. And yeah I know it's kinda late so stop it with the PM, bro. I got enough things on my plate.

**Aero**: …. I won't say much but yeah they will eventually have to. Sorry for the lag... you know.

**Aizawa Li Syaoran Vessalius**: Well DATS is the organization that monitors the Digital World in the anime (Digimon Savers) and in my story, though here I've altered it for obvious reasons. As for Xros Wars; I am not using that right now but I think the scenario is similar. In the story DATS basically wants to keep peace between the two world while the Digital Guardians want to united them to live side-by-side, I will explain more as we go on. Thanks for tuning in and being patient with me. And Happy... late new years.

**Nightwatcher55**: Thanks, hope you continue to enjoy it. I also apologize for the delay.

A/N: As you all know... I've been absent from this story for three months... I think. There are no excuses... I was lazy. Any who, during this little break I was able to further the story significantly and so far I am liking what I've done. Also I am very close to finishing several promises to friends so keep that in mind (_Aero_). Also I have set up the Homepage link on my FF profile to send you to my deviant art page. You can view the summary for the second segment (This one) on there as well as a summary to the previous and a little bit ahead of the story cause I found out thanks to a friend that the Hyperlinks don't work anymore. -_-

_Shedding tears may be a sign of weakness, but the unwillingness to cry is a sign of cowardice._  
- Dunno...

* * *

_Just Like Old Times_

**-**x**-**

A bright light burst through from the heavens piercing the unholy coils that wrapped many Digimon under mental and physical slavery and halting the war that had ravaged the desert and forest regions from the continent of hope in where the hostility had remained at a stalemate for days. The Digidestined watched in awe at the beauty gleaming from the heavens, admiring the light. While those who originated from darkness fled to find shelter from the burning light. A snow of crystal followed the light and the first flake landed on the forehead of the queen to be, Hikari Kamiya.

Another smaller object fell through a puff of smoke and fluttered to the earth with a glittery tail behind it, almost like a beautiful meteor's tail. A dozen other beings descended to maintain the meteor-like object. They managed to catch the glass-like sphere with incredible speed and only four beings descended with it to the foot of where the Digidestined stood.

It was not to be mentioned that the Digidestined were shocked to see the person who always smiled and was always so giving, trapped under a solid rock of ice.

"C...Cecil?" Hikari whispered.

There was another person with her head against the ice, lightly pounding the ice and crying lightly. "Why?" She asked repetitively. "Why. Why. Why..."

The other three beings arrived from the sky besides the Digidestined with a solemn aura. The Digidestined watched Cecil through the ice. His arms embraced a Digi-egg and he had a small smile on his face. But the most enthralling thing about him besides his smile was the eight wings that encircled his bare body.

"What happened?" Taichi asked.

The three Digital Guardians remained quiet for a mere second, as if in that mere second they asked the weeping girl if it was okay to try and explain.

"I do apologize but I want to give you a message on sir Cecil's behalf..." the tall and well armored Craniummon spoke Cecil's words. "_... It haunts me to know that I've forced you brave chosen ones to undertake a matter which was not yours to begin with... to have been so selfless as to undertake these tasks by yourselves is something that will never be forgotten. As leader of the Digital Guardians... I hope that one day I can earn your forgiveness..._"

"He is in that condition because he chose to eradicate the Dark Spirals around the planet and... he pushed back a much greater force." A knight armored with a leopard blueprint said, having seen a similar display a few years ago. "As a last resort to try and help us all. He may very well be gone already"

"Shut up!" The girl flipped around, scowling at the knight Digimon. "Cecil's much stronger than that, he's going to pull through... so just leave out all doubt!"

Taichi watched the young woman's eyes. He had seen her before, four years ago to be precise. The same girl who was looking for Roy back then after getting into it with the kid who tried to push Takeru around. It was strange, after all the battling for an inch of land for days like they never have before, there was a calm silence for the first time since this war begun.

°(Ӝ)°_Four Days Earlier_°(Ӝ)°

It was a horrible day in the once shining forest. The skies were clouded with clouds of war, the air was heavy, and everyone was more or less scared. They stood as a line opposing the armies of the emperor who stood miles inside the forest and finally came across opposition. The line started with Greymon and Taichi all the way across to Satsuma, his partner Qilinmon, Megumi, and Miki each with their own partners at the champion level. The only people that were not present was Mimi and Rika. Mimi for obvious reasons and Rika chose not to show up to give Renamon more time to heal. All those with a partner were present and accounted for, even the brave and young Iori stood with a unflinching facade but insecure air.

Satsuma had severely underestimated the forces of the Emperor, and now as he stared face to face at his army. He was having doubts about their victory.

A single Digimon separated himself from the countless Digimon. He appeared to be a Greymon, more or less, but is flesh was torn and pieces of the Digimon were held together by Metal. He was like a mix of SkullGreymon and MetalGreymon.

"I, Hybrid-Greymon, ask that you seize your hostile actions." in his gravely and heavy voice, the Digimon ordered with courtesy. "If you fail to comply, you will be met with deadly force as decreed by the Digidestined."

Acting as the ambassador Satsuma took a step and spoke. "It is you who should turn around and get your information sorted out."

"So you refuse?"

Satsuma looked back at the children. They still had their full lives ahead of them but still they were willing to fight and risk their lives to keep a race that was unknown to 99.9 percent of humans. He could tell, they were scared, but still that look in their eyes... it was an unyielding glare.

"We will decline."

It was as if that single reply unchained the savage beast. Hybrid-Greymon roared shaking the grown below him and sending waves of vibration through the air. His roar was the first cry of the war. The army that was behind the massive thrust forward many of them flattening trees as the marched on.

"You know what they say Greymon." Taichi said. "The first one to fire is the last one standing."

"Got it! Nova Blast!" Greymon began the barrage of attacks to be lead by his allies and friends.

The line held it's ground as it continued to try and divide the wave of countless Digimon. They knew that facing an army was no easy feat, but they had done it before even with the odds against them, they never lost hope.

However... this time they had completely underestimated the enemy. Though their attacks were able to hinder their approach momentarily they managed to find openings in their offensive and went under the attacks. The numbers were too overwhelming for 14 champions and 1 ultimate level Digimon...

Minutes into the fighting, they saw first hand that this was unlike their previous battles. The advantage that they had of attacking first was now a fruitless way to scramble the enemies and give them a better chance to encircle them.

"We really underestimate our odds here." Yamato said, though without yielding a single step back away from the tide. "What's the back-up plan if they get closer?"

Koushiro smiled cockily, though only to hide that sense of fear that would creep into your mind, no matter how confident one was. "Running would come to mind. But I got an idea if they get close enough... it's dangerous and there is no guarantee that my plan will even work."

"But you think there's a chance, right?" Taichi asked.

"Yeah."

"Then we'll use that. If you think there is a chance, then we'll go for it."

Taichi was always like that nowadays. If someone had a better idea than he did, then he'd place all his trust on that particular person, without any shred of doubt. Koushiro nodded, he was certain that his plan would work.

"Koushiro, how is this plan of yours going to work?" Satsuma asked. He was unfazed by the battle going on before him, almost as if he didn't have a care in the world... but nothing could be further from the truth.

Koushiro pulled out a sort of diamond shape object no bigger than a small cellphone. "It's something I made while you guys were taking it easy."

"What is it?" Takeru asked.

"I call it the Reversal Grenade. It holds a series of codes that will degenerate a Digimon's digital signature to a minimum thus regressing it or completely stopping it's target, like an EMP. Basically it will reverse any Digimon of the champion level back to it's rookie level... but there is a chance that it won't work, or that it'll affect our Digimon as well... or it could possibly destroy all the Digimon in that are caught in the radius."

Everyone but Taichi suddenly felt doubt in Koushiro, that would also mean their partners.

"It's going to be fine." Taichi declared. "Let's do it. These guys are taking our hits and still pushing forward. We won't be able to hold them any longer."

"He's right." Kabuterimon buzzed. "We believe in you. Just do it."

Koushiro gripped the grenade and sighed though out of relief. "Okay. Everyone, get back and hold on to something. I was hoping to save this for a different occasion but I guess now is as good a time as any..."

He was lucky indeed, to have a friend like Taichi who would do-or-die on his decisions. The marks of a true leader who would trust his life to his friends. He waited until the army of Digimon trampled close enough to them before he split the glass shell open. A sudden darkness over took them and blinded them for a brief second. When their vision blurred back into focus, they saw that many of the opposing Digimon had actually reverted back to the rookie forms, while some like Hybrid-Greymon remained completely still. The Mastodon size Digimon had crashed.

Koushiro exhaled deeply seeing as how everything he had hoped for not to happen did not. "This should make our job easier." He stated.

And indeed it did. With some ingenuity, Koushiro managed to use a combination of the emperor's dark spiral and crush effect that he had heard about from Miyako. For now the tide had turn into their favor despite the previous overwhelming odds.

**-Elsewhere**, a scornful teenager watched as his subordinates were freed from his grasp, not because it was a blow to his military, but because a mere commoner was able to counter his Dark Spiral. His design was obsolete, this was the only thing that he gathered from his first defeat.

"Master." Came Stingmon from the shadows of the command room. "Our Dark Spirals have been compromised, those who've remained loyal to you are returning as we speak."

The emperor slowly turned to Stingmon with a demonic smile. "You just gave me an idea."

"Master?"

"This is a minor setback. In warfare we should expect setbacks like this... which means we must innovate. I've been bothered by the designed of the Dark Spiral for a while any way. I think it's time we update it, don't you think so, Stingmon."

Stingmon watched as his partner exit the command room, he was expecting him to snap because his conquest demanded perfection from everyone. Yet he had found this as an excuse to improve on a design that he deemed to outdated to fail when his partner first came out with the Dark Spiral. It only brought the question _'what will be his next plan?'_

Ken hurried to his laboratory a well lit place in sharp contrast to the rest of his fortress. It was the birth place to all his inventions and a secondary prison where he housed Digimon who were too weak to fight to be taken in as test samples for further experiments. He paced down and back the cages, the hilt of his whip clanging against the steel bars. The helpless Digimon who were no higher than rookie could only wince as Ken passed his lash across the cells.

Ken stopped and faced a beaten Gotsumon hiding himself on the corner of the small cage.

Stingmon walked in to see his master drag out the weak Digimon by the throat using his whip with no mercy for the flailing rookie Digimon.

"Feel honored, you will have the privilege of being my first subject to improve my Dark Spiral on this crusade of mine." He said, tugging him much harder to prevent the Digimon from saying anything that might anger him.

Stingmon could only watch Gotsumon get dragged around the room to the chamber where all the Digimon who were kept in this small prison, feared the most. The chamber was infamous for forcing two Digimon to fuse and become a single hybrid. However many times the subject would end up like Hybrid-Greymon. Then there was the manipulation of data, where a Digimon was inserted and taken apart to it's basic codes, the equivalent of dissecting a human. It was that chamber that gave birth to the Dark Spiral. The Genetic Output Device or GOD was among just the tip of the ice berg on the array of instruments that the emperor had at his disposal.

_'Master... Ken... does this really give you joy? Tell me... is this what your brother would really want?'_ Stingmon asked the question in his mind. Every time he came around to try and say it, he would fall short. Despite his reputation as the cold Phantom Assassin, he too was afraid of Ken...

°(Ӝ)°Japan°(Ӝ)°

The Digidestined returned to their point of entry respectively. Takeru who had been with Taichi, Sora, and Hikari during the day, found himself in the Kamiya residence during the night once again. He watched Taichi fall on his couch along with Sora. They were tired from the day, who was to blame them, Takeru and Hikari were both tired but happy that no one was injured and Hybrid-Greymon was captured by the DATS agents for a 'purification' process. Koushiro analyzed the unknown Digimon and determined that it was a forced Fusion like Omegamon's but corrupted.

"Today was tough, but Izzy really pulled through for us." Taichi finally said. "Oi, TK, are you hungry."

Takeru knew that this was more of a request to follow him to the fast food place around the corner, rather than a question. "Umm... Sure."

"Kari, Sora. Both of you want the same old thing?" Taichi asked with a smile. Both Hikari and Sora were to tired to choose so they decided to go with their usual. A burger with small fries and drink. This was also to give Hikari and Sora to reflect on what went on today, to say things they couldn't say to either Taichi or Takeru.

Goggles and blondie waited patiently for their order in the restaurant. That was the good thing about living in the middle of a city, everything was conveniently close. They had walked under silence without saying a word, perhaps to give themselves time to rest and come up with a suitable way to start the conversation.

"Hey... TK. Do you think we can win." Taichi said, again this was less than a question. "When we are all together like this, nothing can stop us."

Takeru said nothing and remained quiet. He felt a 'but' coming.

"Izzy really pulled through for us today... but it's only going to get harder. I don't want any of you guys thinking that just because we had a easy victory today, that it will be that way all the time."

Takeru suddenly remembered their battle after VenomMyotismon, they assumed that their next battles were going to be a breeze but in the end they were force to fight with tooth and nails to simply stay alive.

"And Takeru... If I can't be there for Kari, can I count on you to protect her? If we're fighting someone who can create something like the Dark Spirals, there is no telling how cruel he can be."

Koushiro had explained to Takeru that the Dark Spiral was a coalition of complex and countless codes that would require actual Digimon to achieve the potential it had. In other words, the designer had to use Digimon as specimen to create it. It made Takeru shake a little bit out of the horror the Digimon went through. But he was ready for it.

"You can count on me to protect her. I promise that I won't let anything happen to her."

Taichi smiled. "That's all this brother wanted to know." He said patting his head and making his already messy blonde hair even more messier. "So when are you gonna marry my sister."

He blushed. "W-What?" how had the conversation gone from solemn to something like **that**?

"Hehe, don't worry." He said finally using his trademark grin and threatening tone. A strange mix that always confused Takeru.

The duo continued to pass the time. It was their first day and their fist engagement in a actual war. They never imagined when they were small that they would be engaged in a futuristic/ancient warfare. And for a first day, it was daunting. However they wondered if they could hold out like that. Not only did they have a war to fight in a different dimension, they had to deal with school and their daily lives, that alone was difficult enough. Keeping composure between the two – peace and war – was something unheard of, most of all kids like them. Today they emerged as the victors of their battle but in a war anything could happen.

What they didn't know was that some people lived to fight day and night. They were known as the armed forces of the world, like the Americans who were undergoing a war on terrorism as well as the British who aided them. Aside from them, a particular group on the other side of the globe was fighting a similar war.

°(Ӝ)°Britain - London°(Ӝ)°

Roy sat in a dark sound proof interrogation room with Darko by his side with five heavily armed men. However the men were more confused than angry, with the exception of the man who sat directly across from the wielder of darkness and his partner. In the time where the Digidestined found themselves in a easy confrontation, Roy had journeyed to the mother land, England. And the men that were in front of him were very dangerous, armed or otherwise.

"She deserved better than that." The man muttered in anger. "Like an animal... she didn't deserve that!" He pounded the desk.

"You're right. But you were too much of a twat to stay, now the war has extended to Japan. So what's it going to be old man, are you just going to sit back and watch as the war escalates to our majesty's door step, or are you going to do what you do best, dad?"

The man picked up his gaze and faced his son. "I will help you. Just make sure that these DATS fools don't get in our way."

Roy smirked. "You won't have to worry about that. This is going to be under the table so we will have access to their resources without them knowing. You don't have to worry about a thing."

"Do you think the yanks know about Digimon?" He asked. "If the Japanese go to the Americans with this it _will_ get ugly."

"That's the reason I came here. Not only the Americans but others got wind of the situation during that incident four years ago." Roy said with annoyance. "It's up to us to clean up the mess."

"Bloody great... Well it can't be helped. Who's our first target."

"Our first target is this." He flickered a picture of a group of men, but only one of them was facing the camera. "This was taken by my good friend here. The man you see there is a man by the name of Alexei Demidov."

"Russian?"

"Yeah, I want this one alive. If he has information on others who know about the Digital World I need to know."

"Security's going to be tight. We'll need DART for this. Where do we find this Russian."

"He's in Japan. I want him unharmed. Once I get through with him, you can deal with him. We find the Russian, we find everyone who knows about the Digital Universe, then we find that backstabbing piece of shit."

The team smirked. The group of men that stood in the shadows were equally as brutal as Roy, for those men were trained under the the SAS, Britain's special forces. They had heard and seen what Roy was capable of and so they chose to follow what he said if it was for the safety of their nation. Roy's father had assured them that he was telling the truth and was set on getting revenge on his ex-wife's murdered, even if it was his ex-wife's sister.

**°(Ӝ)°Switzerland-Bern°(Ӝ)° **

In a luxurious and dim oval room, a small group of eleven people worked feverishly to accomplish a most diabolical project. The aura was thick and heavy but despite this the group of people had been working endlessly to care about that. Among the group there were many people from many nations. A set of American twins were going over chemicals while a Chinese woman kept watch on two unearthly creatures. The rest who were working on their computers were from Iran, Japan, Spain, and Mexico, though a deadly Russian and the Canadian Leader were absent.

"How is the program coming along?" One of them asked placing the unstable chemicals in a metallic container. "I'm done on this end. Just waiting on you guys. Seriously you guys are slowing us down."

"Pinche yankee. It's ready. Project 'Thorn Crown' is finally finished." the single Spaniard announced though annoyed by the American's insubordination.

"Excellent. This will definitely make things go faster. We should deliver this to Sarah and Cherubimon as soon as we can. Let's see how the Digital Guardians handle a Digimon beyond the Burst Mode."

"The better question is how will the Digidestined handle twelve Megas and a Destroyer mode Digimon. " The Chinese woman chuckled.

Unknown to the world, another evil had just seen the light of earth, one that could tear the planet apart and disintegrate the foundations of the Digital Universe. The situation was unfolding for this group of people and as things looked to them, no one, not even the Digital Guardians would be able to go against them in the end. Damiemon was the only thing that lingered in their mind, for he was the most powerful and the most mysterious one, him and the Digidestined who weren't much of a concern to them due to their inferior power. A new evil loomed ever closely to earth and only DART and Roy had any knowledge of it.

_**°(Ӝ)°Roy's Rants**_

"Today with me I have Yamato 'Matt' Ishida. The bassist for umm... The Teenage Wolves... is it?"

"Yeah. It's good to be here."

"It better, I got chewed out because of the way I treated Tai... any who. Do you prefer Matt or Yama?"

"Ehh... Either one will do."

"Okay then Yama. We've yet to see you preform any songs, why is that?"

"Well we haven't had any gigs lately which is good because it gives us time to practice. That and Jihad is in town so people are lining up to see them."

"Too right, mate. Well what is your take on the story thus far?"

"It's still too early to say. But I feel that the development is rather enjoyable for those who like to read action adventure stories."

"Yeah, the author is horrible when writing romance so he is sticking with Action and Adventure."

"I hear that he's actually trying to get better on that field."

"Those are just rumors Yama... What? You want to get it on with one of the Valentine Brats?"

"... I never said that."

"Whatever. Did you know that you were ranked the hottest guy in the Digimon series?"

"..."

"I know I'm being a cheeky bastard, but whadya say to that?"

"... I guess... a Thank you... is appropriate, right?"

"You're really boring. Live and show your French side at least once in a while. You have french blood, no? Grab a pint. Get pissed, and show it to the world."

"Isn't that a stereotype."

"Come on, mate. Live a little. Since the beginning of this segment you've been a rather uptight prick."

"No I have not, and aren't English men suppose to be gentlemanly?

"Now that's racist. Any who, we have to end this interview since we've basically reached our space limit. If anyone has questions directed towards Yama don't be afraid to ask."

"Oh... umm well I hope you all stick around for the story."

Well this chapter was short. At least I got some parts this time. Any who, we have Americans, Japanese, Iranians, Chinese, Spaniards, Mexicans, Russian, Canadians, and us British. What more can you ask for? By the way, DART (**Digital Assault and Rescue Tactics**) was previously going to be called DARU but was changed because this idiot thought it sounded better than DARU. It kinda sounds like... yeah... Any who we have a former SAS team, and no clear view as to who the 'Good Guys' are in this story. It excites me to wonder who is going to die.

– –

Eheh... thanks Roy. Always a charmer. As you heard from our good friend, DARU was changed to DART and the situation has just gotten more grim. 12 Megas and a Digimon beyond the Burst Mode... scary. Not only that but Lucemon is on earth, find out what Lucemon's real endgame is. Also why was a team of covert commandos called in by Roy? And just who are the people who identified Sarah and Cherubimon and why do they know about the Digital Universe... all and more further down the story. I apologize for any typos and so forth. Gracias.


	18. Out of the Frying Pan

Digital Revolutions: Corruption Of Minds

Chapter 18

Disclaimer: More legal stuff and more hollow apologies.

_¤*~Reviews~*¤_

**Omega:** I'm sorry dude, but I got stuff to do... and I do tend to get lazy because of that. But yeah I'll try to update a little more frequently. I know right. Knowing our country, we would have noticed something too. lol

**Aero:** Thanks for the review, I haven't heard from you in a long time. By the way, I finished your drawing a while back. Sorry I forgot about it but I'll have Omega send it to you. Thanks for waiting for me dude.

**A/N:** Another chapter based on the events before the fall of Cecil. Also I've updated a few things and will be displaying them on Deviantart (The link can be found in my profile), so look forward to that.

I'd Also like to extend my gratitude to all the new people who subscribed and have been patiently following my story.

_Dating is prostitution, man, only you don't get what you paid for.  
_- Steven Hyde (That 70s Show)

* * *

_Out of the Frying Pan..._

**Yamato sighed exasperatingly and his peers followed**. Taichi who occupied the seat next to him in class was also very stressed due to the situation in the Digital World. The Digital Guardians vowed to keep the tide at bay while they were at school and sleeping. However that was all the support they could give them. The dark spirals would have to be removed by them.

"Oi Yama," one of Yamato's classmates snapped the blonde out of his stressful thoughts. "You sure are pretty calm."

He arched a brow. Sure he was sometimes known as the cool and sometimes cold looking wolf, but for one he considered a friend not to be able to read him... it made him wonder. "Yeah, why wouldn't I be calm?"

"Cause. One of the daughters from the drummer and bassist of that band, Jihad, are coming here!"

Jihad a famous rock/metal band with a talent to play in countless genres of music. Whether it was Pop, or anything they played whatever they felt like it, and built up a good reputation for their originality. However Yamato knew that it's members were in one way or another affiliated with DATS. He was able to piece everything together when he heard that she and the younger sister were going to be join his school and his brother's school respectively. But what kinda ticked him was that Taichi put it together before he did.

"Come on, I hear that their daughters are real hotties... Or are foreigners not your thing?"

Yamato shook his head and inhaled deeply. "...Class is going to be starting in a few seconds, you should get to your seat."

His friend pouted. "You're no fun today." he muttered before he went to his seat.

It was slightly true, Yamato had some fun during the small intermission before the attack yesterday. After seeing how much the odds were against them he had become a little nervous.

The teacher marched in and seconds after the bell rang and the remaining students took their seats. The teacher stood before the class and cleared his throat. "As you all know we have a new foreign-exchange student joining us today." He lacked enthusiasm as he said this, probably because he felt that his students weren't going to pay attention in class because of this new student. "She scored a perfect score on all subjects in her entrance exams and I hope you follow her example. Ms. Valentine, that is your cue."

A girl poked her head in curiously through the door with a tentative smile. She suddenly walked in and bowed. "My name is Angela Valentine, but everyone calls me Angie." She stood straight and met the gaze of the class with her charismatic blue eyes. The class was able to tell that she was nervous, which would be strange for the daughter of a celebrity.

"Now if anyone has any questions for Ms. Valentine, please withhold them until class ends. Ms. Valentine please take a seat next to the student with the blonde hair. Yamato Stand up please."

Yamato stood up and smiled. "Hi, I'm Yamato."

"Oh. I'm Angela." She smiled as well. "But call me Angie since it looks like we're going to be neighbors for a while."

Yamato decided to do as his teacher told them and withheld his questions. Even when she was smiling, he could see that she was still rather nervous. He questioned the thought of her being an actual member of DATS... her attitude to a new class seemed ordinary enough. He looked at Taichi who was staring at him for a while, as if asking him the same question he was asking himself. Yamato simply shrugged and returned his attention to the teacher.

Yamato, Sora, And Taichi found themselves in the cafeteria going over the new Foreign-exchange student that everyone else was talking about. However their form of 'gossip' was different. Even Sora was rather suspicious about the new girl and the way she was acting. The previous DATS members never showed any sense of shyness when meeting with new people.

"They really don't act like Yoshino or Cecil." Taichi said looking at the crowd of girls and guys that ambushed the girl. "She doesn't even act like a celebrity's daughter."

"What exactly is the image you had for her?" Sora asked.

Taichi sweatdropped. If he had said _"I expected sometime like a snot-nose girl with a serious attitude problem." _ Sora would definitely get angry with him. "Seeing her act like this actually made me forget about the image I had of her."

Yamato commended his save with a small smile. "You know we should try and get to know her. DATS agent or not, she is still Cecil's niece"

Angela found herself being surrounded by at least twenty students. Some of the girls and some of them guys and for some reason she felt very uneasy. She was used to being around men and woman, but that was because they were all older than she was, people her age simply intimidated her.

"Do you play anything like your parents?" A male student with medium to long hair asked.

She didn't like questions that related to her and her mother or father. She didn't like to be in their shadows or live off their fame. "I play bass." She answered with a forced smile.

"Like your mom? Did you learn from her?"

She smiled brighter to hide her annoyance. She didn't have anything against her parents, in fact she loved them very much. But to be compare to them all the time was something she was not liking at all. "Yeah, a little." She paused for a second. She couldn't continue with her facade. "Excuse me a second, I need to be pardoned."

She stood up and walked out of the cafeteria in a hurry.

Yamato watched as she walked out – more like storm out – and then he glanced at his peers who were still talking about her. "You guys."

Everyone averted their attention to Yamato, the other bassist and also a member of a somewhat well known band around the area. "Yama!"

"Give her some space. You guys are clearly making her feel a little more than uncomfortable."

"Eh? We're just being friendly."

Yamato nodded. "I know. But don't you guys think you're overdoing it? We don't even know anything about her, all you guys have been asking is about the band and if she plays music." He turned around and decided to go look for her along with Taichi and Sora who watched him display his coolness. Though not as famous as the daughter of two band members, he was still plenty popular in school. "Also, try and let her eat in peace, it looks like she wasn't really enjoying her meal."

Yamato walked out calmly and coolly. It was hard to get angry at Yamato when he had a point, unlike Taichi who would still sometimes throw it in their faces.

The young famous girl found herself in the roof, a place that was off limits to students but now it was simply a place to eat lunch. There were a few people there but they were not approaching her, though some knew who she was while others simply ate their food. Perhaps they were intimidated by her or perhaps they knew who she was, they just didn't know what to say. Either way she finally had some time to catch her breath.

"Umm... Angie."

She turned around to meet a blonde with similar eyes to her own. It was her neighbor with two of his friends, one a pretty girl with cinnamon brown hair and the other with a... unusual hair style. "Oh. Yamato, what brings you here?" She smiled fearing that her neighbor was going to bombard her with questions just like the others.

"Here." Taichi said holding out a plastic wrapped Soba Sandwich. "We take it that you haven't eaten."

"Yeah." Yamato said holding up a orange juice. "I'm sorry for the way the others were acting."

She unwrapped the sandwich and took a quick bite out of it. "Thanks, this is really good."

"Glad you're enjoying it." Taichi said. "So Angie, If you ever need anything talk to Matt or Sora, heck even me."

She gave him a genuine smile. "Thanks, in fact I am going to be staying here for a while so why don't we all get to know each other better after school?"

Yamato nodded. "Sure thing. We'll leave you alone so we don't bother you."

"You don't have to go... I'd very much enjoy some normal company." She shied away a little at this request.

"Alright then." Taichi smiled. "For starters let me properly introduce myself. I am Taichi Kamiya, but everyone calls me Tai."

Angie wondered about this character, he had goggles like a jet fighter pilot, but a hair style that was really uncommon to her.

"Yamato Ishida. Some people call me Yama others call me Matt." Yamato said.

She looked at the girl with the brown hair, she had been quiet the whole time, not uttering a phrase. "Umm... I'm Angela Valentine." She bowed. "Everyone calls me Angie."

"It's real nice to meet you Angie. I'm Sora. Sora Takenouchi." she gave her a kind smile. "Tai's right, if you ever need anything, just let us know, and I'm sorry for being quiet. I was kind of mad at the way the others were treating you."

"Oh. It's okay. I hope we can become good friends."

Sora smiled. "I hope so too."

°(Ӝ)°Mt. Fuji/Digital Guardian Home°(Ӝ)°

Yoshino found herself alone with Roy in the huge house that was the home and headquarters for the Digital Guardians. The home was beautiful and housed an indoor garden in it's heart, it left Yoshino in awe no matter how many times she came to see the garden it was different all the time. The house was clean as always but that was because the Digital Guardians were hardly around the home felt a little nervous. She was alone with a boy her age who she considered her second best and peculiar friend. But he was a little unpredictable, but she had Lalamon to protect her should Roy try anything sketchy.

Roy lead her to the back yard, Examon, RhodoKnightmon, and Dynasmon waited for them in their human form. Several other men also gathered there. "Yoshi. I need to ask you something very important."

"What is it?" Yoshino asked, not averting her eyes from the five guests. "And who are they?"

"We are tourist young lady." One of the men answered in a Scottish accent.

"Don't worry about them right now." Roy answered a little solemnly. "Now... there is no other way to put this so I'll be blunt about it... I want you to leave DATS to come with us an handle things our own way."

Yoshino narrowed her eyes at him. "What?"

"I'm asking you to leave DATS."

He was dead serious. Roy was warned about treason, in fact she was there when the Digital Guardians spoke about it, and she knew the consequences such actions would take. "Are you really serious? Do you know what will happen to you if you leave DATS?"

"That's precisely the reason I am doing this. I should not be held for treason just for wanting to do things my own way. I should have that liberty at least dammit. Instead I... no. WE are forced to live under constant rules and restrictions that endanger our lives much more, I never thought that you of all people would conform."

"That's just the way we do things in Japan."

Roy sighed. He was getting straying away from his question. "I'll ask you again... Yoshino Fujieda. Will you join us?"

Yoshino stared at the western men behind him, they were all very roughed and even intimidating. She knew that three of them were Digimon but she wondered if the five men knew about it. She was told not to release Lalamon but she was capable of listening to conversations even when inside the Digivice. Where did her loyalties lie? Where they with her good friend Roy or with the man who got her through her studies and even made her a DATS member despite her mother's objections.

But then again, Roy had taught her all she knew about the Digital World, about self-defense, and even about life. Sure he was dark and sadistic, but he didn't allow his wisdom to go to waste. He taught her how to make hard decisions on her own; it was because of that she even joined DATS in the first place. _'then what's this feeling I'm getting?'_ it was making her uneasy, the nasty feeling she got in her chest. Was it the atmosphere? No, it was something else. It was being given off by not only Roy but the five mysterious men behind him as well.

She shook her head, no matter what the feeling was, her friend had just made a sort of proposition and it was clear that he wanted an answer. Her sense of loyalty might mean betrayal of some sort, regardless of the choice she made. Not that it mattered, it was Roy who suddenly brought her to the Villa of the Digital Guardians and asked her to betray DATS.

"No. I won't go with you." She answered firmly. Her eyes however averted from Roy's own. "I can't."

Roy sighed but smiled. "Remember what I said about making your own decisions Yoshi."

"I remember... and I can't because I don't think I'll be able to handle it. You are... cruel and even if I agreed with your ways... I can't get passed the Champion level."

He saw tears quietly sneak their way down Yoshino's face. Without any feeling of sorrow or even pity, he walked up to her and gently wiped it off. "Stiff upper lip, unless you give up, it doesn't matter if you go passed the champion level or not. As for my proposition... don't worry about it"

She looked up and saw him smile. Again it was one of those rare moments. It relieved her a little to see that he wasn't angry at her.

"I'll be leaving now. I probably won't get to see you for a a few months or if not years and if I fail I probably won't be able to do this... so I guess now is a good a time as any."

He grabbed her by the shoulders startling her a little. Her eyes were still locked with his, he drew closer to her and their shadows overlapped and remained so for a meek ten seconds. They parted and Roy smiled. "That's an Italian man's way of greeting and parting." He said jokingly. "Don't believe everything you hear about me... as the stuff I actually do... I hope you can forgive me. You are the only person who is, strangely enough, important to me that isn't part of my family."

With those final words, Roy left Yoshino alone, taking with him, Examon, RhodoKnightmon, Dynasmon, and the unnamed men.

"What do we do next? She declined your offer like you expected."

"Deploy the Commandramon, we're moving in for the capture. The Russian is closer than I anticipated."

The group of eight entered a van hidden around the corner of the villa walls. Inside it was a small surveillance room. Monitors on cameras around the villa showed the Commandramon on a special display that saw through their Chameleon Camouflage that made them invisible to all type of visions.

"That was a pretty good move. Flicking the Japanese girl like that worked better than your father's flashbang idea."

Suddenly the unusually quiet Roy chuckled. "Yeah... I guess."

-x-

Yoshino's body was shaking, her heart was racing, and her mind was drawing a blank. She could still feel Roy's warm touch on her lips and the warmth of his hands on her shoulders. She finally tumbled to the grass, her knees to shaky to support her anymore. Lalamon emerged from the Digivice without being called.

"Are you okay?" She asked a little frantically.

Yoshino said nothing. She placed her hand over her heart, the beating was pounding through her chest almost as if it wanted to escape from the heat her body had generated.

Lalamon leered at the direction Roy had escaped through. "Him, I'll show him a thing or two."

"No." Yoshino managed to mutter. "Actually... it's nothing."

"Eh?" Lalamon stared at her partner with confusion. She was dazed and shaking, yet she claimed that nothing was wrong. Lalamon pouted. "I know I say this a lot but I wish you would speak sooner, I shouldn't have to threaten someone."

Yoshino did her best and managed to get back on her feet, still shaking but not as much. "Let's go." There was no response from Lalamon. "Lalamon? I said let's..." Yoshino stared at a man who stood over Lalamon with one foot pinning the Digimon against the ground. He was different from the eight that were with her a few moments ago. His hair was silver and short and his eyes were clear blue, he was also very tall and strong looking.

"You must be Yoshino." The man said with a very heavy accent. "Excellent, to think that one of DATS agents would be alone is really convenient."

"W-what do you w-want." Yoshino asked. She was still shaken by Roy's actions despite the... circumstances that have transacted without her volition, she was unable to move even under the threatening situation she was in.

He pressed down hard on Lalamon until he knocked the Digimon out cold. "Does my presence frighten you child? It must be difficult to be alone with a man who can crush even Digimon. It's natural for you to be afraid."

No she wasn't afraid of him at all. The only reason her voice and body were shaky was because of something Roy did. It was rather Ironic in a way, she wasn't afraid by a tall man who was walking ever closer to her with a sinister aura, but everything in her was rattled by a single kiss.

"Prosti menya za eto*."

Yoshino watched his had pull back before her vision blurred into darkness, the last words of the silver man echoing in the void.

°(Ӝ)°After School°(Ӝ)°

The rest of the day had gone rather well. Yamato really did make his fellow peers understand that even people like Angela deserved a little space, regardless of her status in society. It also made her open up more toward her classmates. She walked alongside Yamato to meet up with Taichi. Her mind was on the blonde. It was strange she had never seen a blonde Japanese and it was clear that his hair was natural. It was not wittered or damaged.

"Are you really a blonde?" Angela asked.

Yamato blinked in confusion, while Taichi snickered in the background. "Umm... Yeah. One of my grandparents happens to be French."

"Really? That sounds kinda romantic in a way." Angela smiled.

Yamato laughed nervously. He was never one to really display affection like romance. It was not that he didn't want to display it, it was just that he hadn't had the time for it, nor had he found someone to truly express those feelings with.

"Ms. Angie!"

A man in a Motorcycle suddenly parked next to them on the sidewalk. The man removed his helmet to reveal his greenish hair – most likely dyed – and golden eyes. He somewhat startled the three who weren't used to having a man suddenly pull up on them with a motorcycle.

"Oh. Raiden. I told my dad I was going home by myself today." Angela said a little annoyed.

"Even though you are with the Digidestined, that is unacceptable by your parents... That is not the reason I am here though. Have you seen Royce?"

There it was. Something to link Angela to DATS, just what Yamato needed to hear. He mentioned them by a name that was unknown to any person and even mentioned Roy by his full first name. They now had more than Cecil to link her to DATS.

"No. Why?"

"What about you." He asked them a little impatient. "Have you seen Roy?"

"Nope. We haven't seen him in a while. By the way, who are you?"

The man grunted. "I am Raiden, Ms. Angie's assistant and member of DATS. There is no time for formalities, I already know everything about you. Ms. Angie however has little knowledge since she was called in last minute. But that isn't important if neither you or the Digidestined know where Roy is then that must mean that he has defected."

"What?" The four of them asked.

"Earlier we received a significant source of data near the Mt. Fuji area. DATS was able to triangulate the origins of this data surge to the Villa. That energy belonged to... Examon and Roy."

Yamato narrowed his eyes. He could see that Taichi was thinking the same thing as he was. "What does this have to do with anything. And who's Examon."

"I am not under any authority to explain this. However I can say this. You cannot trust him no matter what. Yoshino was with him during the explosion of energy and since then she's been missing."

"Missing? Are you sure?"

"Yes Ms. Angie. We discovered Lalamon unconscious on the premises and she still hasn't awoken. Since Roy was the last one with her, DATS has assumed that he has defected and taken Yoshino hostage to avoid retaliation. The Digital Guardians were unable to do anything due to the fact that they are keeping the Emperor's armies at bay in the Digital Universe."

Yamato narrowed his eyes. Sure he knew that Roy was a bit of a jerk and possibly a sadist. But Yoshino and Roy were good friends, something like treason seemed rather stupid on Roy's part.

He noted some people stop to look at him. His motorcycle and punk look were drawing the eyes of the concerned people. "There is more to it but I cannot say anymore. Taichi, Yamato, Sora, will you please join Ms. Angie on her home. I will be there shortly." With that he placed his helmet over his head and drove off.

"So you're really a member of DATS." Yamato said as he watched the man turn the corner.

"Yeah, I'm sorry I didn't really know if you were Yamato Ishida. I'm really sorry for keeping quiet but you know how these DATS guys are."

Sora smiled. "Don't worry. We understand."

-x-

The crew got together at the Valentine's condo. Normally it would be any fan's wish to be standing where they were. However they were far from excited when the news about Yoshino's abduction came to them. To make them more anxious, the suspect was Royce 'Roy' Belanger. From their encounter with him last time and demonstration of what he was capable of, it was more than understandable why they would be scared.

Two men, the one who met Yamato and the others outside school, and a tall dark man with a built that made Satsuma look like a frail old man. Aside from them, the sister, Jennifer 'Jenn/Jenny' Valentine was present. The two sisters knew who Roy really was... but so did Takeru and Hikari.

Hikari pleaded for forgiveness on Roy's behalf and now he was the prime suspect for Yoshino's missing. She felt guilty. Maybe if she had not said anything and allowed the Digital Guardians to operate the way they did, maybe it wouldn't have happened.

Takeru on the other hand felt a little more than angry and frightened than the rest. Hikari was taken by him and now this, it made him wonder if it would have been Hikari in the hands of a powerful and mysterious person who happened to be the bearer of Darkness.

Cecil walked in the living space with a very tense and heavy aura. "I'm sorry to abruptly call you here on such a short notice... but as you may have heard from Raiden by now... Yoshino has gone missing and due to a certain source of data, we've concluded that Roy has indeed defected and abducted Fujieda Yoshino."

His announcement was taken in like Cecil had expected. He could see that they had been hoping that it wasn't true.

"So now what? Why don't you go stop him." Rika snapped. Though she had calmed down about her loss, she was still scornful and devoted to see Cecil defeated. "You have a partner on the Mega level anyway."

He sighed deeply. "That is why we are here, I am here to discuss the matters of Roy and the advancement of the emperor's armies. I am sorry Rika, but our unfinished business will be delayed."

"Tsk." Rika crossed her arms. "Whatever, just hurry up."

"Then let me start by giving you all Roy's Information. Please don't be intimidated by what I am about to say... Royce 'Roy' Belanger is partnered to Dracomon, a Digimon who he can get passed the Mega level and with the core of the Dracomon twin, he can fuse the core and Dracomon to become one of the Royal Knights known as Examon. A extremely dangerous DNA product with devastating powers. And furthermore... he is the wielder of the crest of Darkness."

Everyone was at a loss for words, again with the exception of the foursome who knew who Roy really was.

"Wait... He's... the." Taichi tried to say.

"Yes... I haven't been quite truthful about that but he is indeed the one with the crest of darkness. I've come here to inform you that I will be joining the search for Roy."

"So why would you call us here?" Taichi asked. "I know you didn't call us to tell us something very disturbing and only calm us down later on. DATS has never done that before, nor have the Digital Guardians."

DATS and the Digital Guardians were always so very discrete. They never mentioned anything important. If there was a problem that they could handle, they would never say anything. Yoshino would normally speak to them about the tasks that were accomplished.

"True... even though Roy is our prime objective... he is not the reason I called you here. Reports from one of agents has demonstrated that other countries have taken notice about the Digital Disturbances around Japan. And with Examon's latest outburst of energy, nations like America, China, and so forth have taken notice. For your safety, I will ask you not to make contact with anyone you don't know."

"Why?"

"DATS has been aware that other nations have had some knowledge about the Digimon phenomena, but Satsuma and the Japanese officials that secretly founded the program fear that the other nations would use any information about the Digital Universe to exploit the weak and pursue military power."

"But aren't you American?" Miyako asked. "You don't trust your own country."

Cecil smiled. "Trusting a nation would not be up to me, people are different some can be cruel and some can be kind. It's their leaders, their governments, that I don't trust."

It was strange. But somehow Miyako understood. She had read it in history class. In the past governments would drag people to war, or basically enslave them. Even now the best example was North Korea.

Yamato continued to gaze at Cecil. He could tell that he was not telling them the whole story. "What about Yoshino, do you think she'll be okay."

"Yes. Yoshino was the closest thing Roy had as a best friend. If he took her, it was probably not to harm her as well as to keep himself safe from us." Cecil answered and looked at Takeru who he knew was staring at him. Craniummon had told him what had happen between Takeru and Roy.

"I will take my leave with you now. I must return to my duty and look for Roy."

"Wait." Taichi ordered. "What are you going to do to Roy if you catch him."

Cecil looked down at the hardwood floor with a intense glare. "That will be up to the leader of the Digital Guardians and Roy. If he continues to pursue these actions, then they will be force to employ force."

"How can you say that, he's your brother isn't he?" Hikari asked.

He turned around to face her and gave a faint smile. "What would you suggest we do?"

Hikari was taken aback. It was the same question that other man from DATS asked her. "He is you brother, you shouldn't be trying to hurt him... you should try and talk to him."

"Would you be against our method of pursing Roy?"

She knew she had to tread carefully. Cecil was the one who had the closest relationship with the Digital Guardians. She had to be careful on what she said since she was sure that they would follow her orders to the letter. "Please... don't hurt him. I... I want to talk to him."

"What?" was the question that stirred around the room.

"Very well, I will arrange that." Cecil answered. "It's your word against the Digital Guardians' they see you as their queen, they would never go against your word."

Hikari smiled at him. "I'd also like to know a little about you. You are his brother after all."

Cecil blinked a little in a haze. Even though he _was_ the leader of the Digital Guardians Hikari was making a request to him. It made him wonder if she was suspicious of him. Regardless, the pleading face she was making gave him no choice but to submit. "Very well... what would you like to know."

It had surprised the Digidestined that Hikari took pity on Roy, but to see a person as secretive as Cecil agree to talk about himself... it was just a first.

Hikari smiled. "Do you have any family?"

Cecil swallowed hard. It had been a while since anyone had asked him that question and to think that it was Hikari's first question. He looked away from her and took a deep breath. This time he was going to answer honestly. "The Valentine's were friends of my mother, and the closest thing I have to a family."

"And Roy? What about him?"

"Roy... is from the United Kingdom, or England if you will. I met him in the Digital Universe and we slowly became brothers after that. We may not be related by blood but we are still brothers regardless of nationality or race."

They were surprised to see Cecil so sincere. He was always giving them half-assed answers but this time, there was that sense of sincerity. However they regretted asking him such a difficult question, especially about the scars of his family that was suppose to be deceased. Though no one, not even a member of DATS, could come up with something as sad as that.

"In addition to that..." Cecil continued. "I am already engaged. Soon I will have my own family with the lady who holds the crest of faith."

Jaws dropped, even Angela and Jennifer were equally shocked. As far as they knew he was no older than Taichi or even Joe. But truth was, Cecil was much older than they were, he had lived and trained in a realm where time and age did not exist, darkness reigned, and no life could grow. He was roughly two times their age if not older.

"I will answer all your other questions in due time, so for today I bid you farewell."

Everyone in the Valentine residence looked at each other and wondered how Cecil managed to live a normal life and have time to fight the battles of the Digital Universe, the affairs of DATS, and the war of love, all in the same time. Let alone being engaged to another Digidestined who happen to hold a crest. It made them all wonder who she was and if she was also working for DATS and they didn't even know it.

Takeru watched the closed mahogany door without blinking. Even though the others didn't notice it, when he said that, he was looking at him the whole time. He glanced at Hikari who glanced back at him. The locked eyes for a second. In that second both of them unknowingly saw the two of them sharing something like Cecil was going to with the 'lady' of faith. Their connection was broken by Miyako who picked herself up from the floor right in between them.

"Well... wasn't this rather strange." Miyako said slightly annoyed. "First we learn that Roy's gone psycho, then we learn that the governments from other countries are after us. Now Cecil's suddenly getting married. It sounds like the beginning of a bad manga."

"I will say that it's rather scary but I think he answered those tough questions to calm us down." Joe said referring to Miyako's reaction.

"But you have to commend his devotion to his work and life." Koushiro added already typing away at his laptop.

"Enough about him." Taichi said a little irritated. "Come on guys, we have to think of more new ways to avoid trouble. We have Roy who kidnapped Yoshi. We also have various government agencies that are possibly after us, and to top it off, we are fighting a war in the Digital World. We need to think and come up with some way to undo this mess."

"Why should I get involved?" A scornful Rika said. "I don't need to do anything for that jerk."

"You're already involved, so zip it." Miyako retorted, able to overlook and ignore Rika's death glare. "How about we do this..."

°(Ӝ)°Harmony°(Ӝ)°

Under the shadows of the many trees that blocked out the sun, a peculiar goggle head watched the advancing line of Digimon get closer and closer once again to the border that separated the desert and the forest. The teenager with goggles could only smirk at the approaching herd.

"Are you sure this is going to work?" A Digimon with claws as sharp as swords, asked.

"Yup. They'll never know what hit them." He answered with confidence. Get the others ready, if we're gonna do this. We have to time our attack right, Flamedramon. Let's move closer and meet up with the others, we'll pick them off one group at a time."

"Right, but I'm going to need something to eat after this."

"Yeah, how does Pizza sound?"

"Perfect."

Daisuke Motomiya. A fiery spiky haired stubborn person with a great personality and now a famous Tamer among the citizens of the Digital World. He worked in secrecy to avoid getting scolded by DATS and only during the night to move around much better. He had seen enough movies to know that the experts attacked during the night... at least in those American movies... nevertheless, his tactics had proven to hinder the advances of the Emperor's military. But it wasn't all his doing, he had a very powerful ally on his side, one who was once an enemy. His name, Akiyama Ryo.

* * *

*(-/Roy's Rants\-)*

What the hell, mate!? Introducing more characters! Ugh whatever, it's your story. Next chapter is going to be about good ol Daisuke and Ryo. You can either like it or not. Hmm I didn't really like my appearance here in this chapter because it was out of character for me. I guess it's to add some sort of goodness to one of the protagonist... Whatever, see you lads later... no I'm not doing an interview this time.

Heh... any who I've noticed that I've been getting more and more views from Germany, Singapore, India, and Australia. Thanks for that. I really hope you guys stay safe and strong, same to you ladies. Review or subscribe, it makes my day even if you point out the typos and many mistakes I make. XD


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